Friday: Hülkenberg and Perez fast in race conditions for Force India
Force India could not do better than 13th fastest time. However, the assessment still brings optimism, as Nico Hülkenberg was hindered on his qualifying lap. Moreover, the car seems very competitive on long stints.
Nico Hülkenberg (No. 27): 13th and 14th
The German driver is keen to point out that he couldn’t set a better time due to yellow flags: « It wasn’t the calmest Friday, but from the team’s point of view, everyone is happy to see that we managed to accomplish most of the work. It’s difficult to know our absolute pace, because my short run on the super-softs was compromised by two yellow flags. So I think there’s more performance and a better time to be found with a clean lap. I also think we can always find a bit of pace overnight with some balance changes. »
Sergio Perez (n°11): 14th and 13th
Unlike his teammate, Sergio Perez is openly very optimistic about the race: « I feel quite happy today because we finished our program and learned a lot. The car performed well in the afternoon, especially on long runs, so I am really looking forward to Sunday. We also worked hard on our qualifying pace and even without knowing where we will start, we can make progress and fight for points. »
