Force India: Sergio Perez well ahead of Nico Hülkenberg
The Force India cars experienced contrasting fortunes in qualifying at Sochi. Sergio Perez made it through to Q3 and set the 7th fastest time. He'll start 6th tomorrow after Sebastian Vettel's penalty. By contrast, Nico Hülkenberg was stuck in Q2.
Sergio Perez once again demonstrated that he likes the Sochi track, where he secured his only podium in 2015. “I am very happy with our performance today and my last lap in Q3 was fantastic – just what was needed,” the Mexican rejoiced after the session. Sergio Perez indeed managed to get ahead of Daniil Kvyat’s Red Bull. He will start 6th tomorrow, ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. “It will be a great challenge to maintain our position,” he conceded. “It’s not a track that favors overtaking, so there should be some nice battles.”
On the other side of the garage, Nico Hülkenberg missed Q2 by setting a time five-tenths slower than his teammate. He will start only 13th tomorrow and doesn’t necessarily expect a strong comeback: « It was a pretty straightforward qualifying, but not with the outcome I wanted. I haven’t felt comfortable since I got in the car yesterday, and it was a real struggle to find the grip and performance we were expecting. We changed a lot of parts overnight and before qualifying, but it didn’t take us in the desired direction. Obviously, we cannot change the car in anticipation of the race, so I think it’s going to be a difficult Saturday given the tight gaps in the middle of the pack ».
The statements at Force India are therefore clearly opposing. The cars of Sergio Perez and Nico Hülkenberg must absolutely be more economical with tires than in previous races. This is convenient: the tarmac in Sochi is less demanding in this regard.
