Brazil Race - Force India driver quotes

Nico Hulkenberg (5th)
“That was a lot of fun - very entertaining and there was so much happening all the time! We had a great chance to finish on the podium today, but it slipped away, which is a shame. In the early laps it was difficult to keep the car on the track in the very damp conditions, but it was not really wet enough for intermediates and I stuck with the slicks. It was the right decision and soon I was leading the race. I felt comfortable but eventually I made a small mistake and Lewis got ahead of me. I managed to stay with him and was fighting to get the lead back when we touched. It’s hard to say what happened but I was making a move going into turn one and had a slightly loose rear. I was about to turn in and suddenly there was contact. It’s a shame for both of us because we were having a great battle. I managed to keep going but I had lost a lot of time. Fifth place is still a super result to end the season and I think the team did an excellent job this weekend. I hope they enjoyed the race - it’s a nice leaving present in my last race.”

Paul di Resta (19th)
“It was a very tricky race and not easy to make the calls with the weather constantly changing. Ultimately we made the wrong decision to switch to the intermediates in the early stages because the track began to dry quite soon after my stop. The tyres lost performance quickly and I went back to the slicks just before the safety car came out. That brought us back into play, but I struggled for grip at the restart and lost a few places. When we went back to the intermediates in the closing stages we were more competitive and I was up in eighth place. Unfortunately with a lap to go I aquaplaned in the final corner. It was a big hit with the wall, but I’m okay.”

Robert Fernley, Force India deputy team principal
“What a race! Certainly one of the most exciting races I’ve seen with drama on every lap. For a while it looked like we were heading for a fairly-tale result with Nico leading for so much of the race and showing his skill in the tricky conditions. We had a great car today and had the pace to win, but it was not meant to be. I would question the deployment of the first safety car, which we believe could have been covered under waved yellows. Equally, we were surprised by the drive-through for Nico, and feel it could have been investigated after the race because there were three cars involved. With Paul we played a slightly different strategy with an early switch to the intermediate tyres, as most teams did, but when the rain eased off he went back to slicks. He was looking set for points until the crash towards the end, but it’s a relief to see him get out of the car OK. So we end the season on a positive note and head into the winter optimistic that we can start next year just as well. On behalf of the team I’d like to say goodbye to Nico and thank him for his contribution to our campaign this season. It has been a pleasure to have him drive our cars.”

Source: F1.com 

Di Resta says one-stop races hurt F1

Paul di Resta believes Formula 1's recent one-stop races have sold the sport short.
 
A combination of forgiving track surfaces and conservative tyre choices at the last few events meant drivers experienced little in the way of tyre degradation, 

This has enabled them to go deeper into races before undertaking their mandatory pitstops - a stark contrast to the earlier rounds of the season.
Force India driver di Resta is concerned that these comparatively dull races could be detrimental to the sport.

"These one-stop races are not reaching the 'full picture' at the moment," he said.

"There's elements where you're not really compromising on set-up. That's where a little less excitement has come out of it.

"I thought Abu Dhabi was a good race, but only because the safety car came into the equation. But before that, these races were high deg and different strategies."

Even with its non-abrasive track surface, the United States Grand Prix delivered plenty of overtaking, despite the majority of the field adopting a one-stop strategy.

Di Resta, however, suggests that the race would have been even more enthralling if drivers were encouraged to pit more often through higher tyre wear.

"How much better would it have been with more pitstops?" he pondered.
"What you want is cars on the edge, cars that have to go a different way to qualifying in the race and let it unfold to the public and let them enjoy it."
Pirelli plans to alter its dry weather tyres for 2013, with a view of spicing up the racing action.

Source: Autosport.com

Friday practice - Force India driver quotes

Force India
Paul di Resta, P1 - 1:14.738, 8th; P2- 1:15.129, 10th
“I think we can feel quite positive about today. It was all pretty straightforward and the data looks quite encouraging. The hot conditions were tricky for everyone and the car was moving around quite a bit, but we’ve ended the day with a pretty sorted car that is working well in the low and high speed parts of the lap. I’m certainly feeling more confident with the car compared to recent races and I think we are looking reasonably competitive here.”

Nico Hulkenberg, P1 - 1:15.050, 10th; P2 - 1:15.131, 11th
“You certainly felt the heat today and the car was quite loose and difficult to drive at times. Apart from that it was business as usual – doing the long runs and getting the tyre data. We also had an extra set of the 2013 tyres available this morning so it was interesting to get a taste for them and do a direct comparison with this year’s tyres. It’s difficult to judge where we stand at the moment, but we have all the information we need, so it’s just a case of trying to understand things more tonight to be ready for tomorrow.”

Jakob Andreasen, Force India chief engineer
“Two productive practice sessions today have left us well prepared going into the weekend. There were some aero test items on the cars this morning and we also had a chance to sample the 2013 development tyres. That proved extremely valuable and we made the most of the opportunity to try and get a head-start on next year. In the afternoon the temperatures continued to rise, with the track reaching a high of 55°C - one of the highest peaks we have seen all year - and the drivers said the car was sliding around quite a lot, as you would expect in such conditions. More warm weather is forecast for tomorrow, unless the rain arrives, and there is also a high risk of rain on Sunday.”

Source: F1.com 
 

Brazil preview quotes - Force India

Paul di Resta, Force India
2011 Qualifying - 11th, 2011 Race - 8th
“The last race in Austin was looking very positive to begin with, but after my pit stop I just could not get the tyres to work, so I’m hoping that the conditions in Brazil will suit me better. I enjoy the circuit, but at the same time it’s quite tricky because of the undulating layout and there are some unusual corners. It’s also quite a tough track on your neck because of the anti-clockwise layout and the high number of left-hand corners. After three races on very new circuits it will make a nice change to go back to one of the classic old-school tracks. It’s a circuit that usually produces good racing and there’s also talk of rain, which would add another element into the mix.”

Nico Hulkenberg, Force India
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
“First of all I want to thank everyone for believing in me and giving me the chance to return to Formula One this year as a race driver. I’ve learned a lot during the last two seasons, even as a third driver, and the time has flown by very quickly. It’s a great team of people; they’re fun to work with and I think we can be proud of the results we achieved together. That’s why it was not an easy decision to leave, but I’m happy to be leaving with good memories. The task now is to end the year in style with a great result.”

Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
“We hope that Nico will be able to pull off what he did for Williams in 2010 [pole position]. That’s what is needed if we want to catch Sauber! Otherwise I hope we can end the season with a strong result. Two cars in the points would be nice. Up at the front I look forward to seeing how the fight in the drivers’ championship concludes because it’s never over until it’s over. Also, many congratulations to Red Bull for securing the constructors’ championship in Austin.”

Source: F1.com

Force India set for £50 million boost

Force India has been given a boost ahead of the 2013 season with the news of the approval of a £50 million investment programme.
 
Team boss Vijay Mallya said the squad's board met in India after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and approved the programme, which will mean Force India will invest heavily in new technology to boost the design team for the coming seasons.

Force India looks set to finish the 2012 season in seventh position in the constructors' championship, having scored 99 points ahead of the final race in Brazil.

Mallya believes his team has a lot of reasons to be proud about its achievements this year, especially considering some of the equipment it is using to design its car is from the era when the outfit was known as Jordan.

"Looking back at the season so far, we have every reason to feel proud," he said.

"We've scored more points than in any previous season and every year we've demonstrated that we've gone up the ladder.

"And we've taken fairly significant steps, not just baby steps. Given the tools that we have, which are mostly of the Jordan era, we have done exceptionally well."

Source: Autosport.com

USGP Race - Force India Driver Quotes

Nico Hulkenberg (8th)
“Another tough race but very satisfying to have so many good battles and score another four points. I think we squeezed the maximum from the car and should be pleased with what we achieved. For the first few laps we looked very strong, but after lap ten the tyres started to fade away. When we switched to the hard tyres we were not so competitive so it was just a case of pushing hard to stay in the points. The last few laps were not easy because I was getting massive pressure from the Williams pair, who were very quick through sector one. They had the advantage of DRS and it was not easy to keep them behind me. There was quite a bit of fighting but I managed to stay ahead.”

Paul di Resta (15th)
“I made a good start and for the first few laps we were in quite a strong position and moving forward with good lap times. Maybe we waited too long before pitting because I became vulnerable to Senna after my stop and was struggling on cold tyres with tyre warm-up. I couldn’t keep Senna behind me and then I had the same situation with Maldonado. I was fighting a lot of oversteer in the car and made an error in Turn 19, lost the rear, and spun. I was just trying a bit too hard to keep the cars behind me. That gave me some flat spots on my tyres so I had to pit for a second time. From there it was difficult to fight back because it was a clear one-stop race.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal and managing director
“Today’s race was a brilliant showcase for Formula One and the perfect way to kick off the sport’s return to America. We saw some great racing and the track looked spectacular. Nico was back in the points again and drove very well to finish eighth. For the final part of the race he came under heavy pressure from Senna and Maldonado, but he didn’t make any mistakes and kept them at bay. Williams are close competitors in the championship so it was important to outscore them here. Paul’s race looked promising in the early stages, but tyre issues and a spin cost him dearly and ruled out any chance of points. With the season coming to a close we will look to continue our run of points-scoring finishes in Sao Paulo and hopefully end the season on a high note next weekend.”

Source: F1.com 

USGP Qualifying - Force India driver quotes

Force India
Nico Hulkenberg (8th, Q3 - 1m 37.141s)
“I’m happy to get another top ten result and it’s been a good effort by the whole team, especially given where we were yesterday evening. My lap in Q3 was not too bad, but I was a little compromised by a Williams in the last couple of corners, so maybe there was a little bit more to come. Generally I’m quite happy and confident we can race strongly because our long-run pace looked competitive yesterday. There are lots of unknowns about tomorrow because there is no data from the past to help us, but we’re in good shape and I’m really enjoying driving at this new track.”

Paul di Resta (13th, Q2 -1m 37.665s)
“It has been a difficult weekend so far and I’m still struggling to get the tyres working. I have quite a smooth driving style so maybe that’s why I haven’t been able to switch them on as well as Nico, who has a more aggressive approach. The good news is that P13 is on the cleaner side of the grid so that should help me maximise the start. It’s a long race but I’m not really sure what to expect tomorrow. The car is not quite where I want it to be so I just need to make the best of it and hope we can use the strategy to help us move forward.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal and managing director
“The Circuit of The Americas is a spectacular venue for motor racing and it was great to see so many fans here to watch today’s qualifying session. It’s not been the easiest of weekends for us in terms of setting up the car and getting the tyres to work, but the changes overnight certainly improved the situation and we looked more competitive in final practice. By the time of the qualifying session, Nico was feeling a lot more confident and managed to make Q3 once again. With a grid penalty for Grosjean, we expect Nico to start from seventh. Paul has been struggling more with the tyres, but he’s certainly in the mix for the race and will continue to fight. The priority tomorrow is to pick up points and strengthen our position in the championship.”

Source: F1.com