Force India still in 4th place
Sergio Perez and Nico Hülkenberg confirmed the good form of the Indian single-seater on the Mexican driver's home turf. They are now the 4th force on the grid, and hope to extend their lead over the Williams team.
During these two sessions, the local hero Sergio Perez was indeed behind the wheel of his car, unlike last weekend when he had given up his seat to his young compatriot Alfonso Celis. It was a mixed day for the Mexican driver, with a fourth-place finish during the morning session and fifteenth place in the afternoon.
But it is encouraged by a whole nation won over to his cause that he gains additional motivation to give his best.
He is delighted to be at home and with the behavior of his car despite difficulties encountered during FP2: « Racing at home is a moment full of emotions (…). The morning went very well and I had a good feeling with the car. I struggled more this afternoon, but we know where we need to focus and the direction we need to take to improve for tomorrow. »
He continues by discussing the weather conditions that played a role in understanding the behavior of the tires and the single-seaters for the car’s setup for the race: “The conditions today were not what we expected, but the rest of the weekend should be warmer. We need to set up the car for the conditions we will have during the race, but I think the data we collected today will allow us to do so.”
On Nico Hülkenberg’s side – 5th and 6th fastest times – the day was equally diligent and without obstacles. The German was satisfied with his car’s performance but is convinced that they can do better: « The rest of the day was standard, mostly aimed at understanding tire behavior. I think we did a good job with that. This morning’s session didn’t teach us much. The track was too cold and dirty. The car’s balance was good, but I’m not completely happy yet. There is still significant room for improvement, and I hope we can find it on the car tomorrow. »
Reliability, pace, and performance seem to be back on track for the Force India team, with Sergio Perez at home ready to compete in front of his audience, aiming to take points from Williams for the Constructors’ Championship and personally against Valtteri Bottas, who is only three points behind him for seventh place. As for Nico Hülkenberg, he will be keen not to finish his race at the first corner like in Austin or Singapore.
