Friday: Force India showed strong form
The day was productive for Force India. The cars in the colors of India were in their element throughout the day, and the three drivers - Jules Bianchi having preceded Nico Hülkenberg in the seat of the second VJM05 this morning - expressed their satisfaction with their car.
Paul di Resta – 6th and 6th:
When I got into the car this morning, the baseline settings were a good starting point, and I really didn’t change much throughout the day. Our one-lap speed seems good, as does our pace on long stints, and we presumably already have a good feel for the tires. Given the pace we showed today, we seem competitive, so we’re hopeful that we can fight for the top 10 in qualifying tomorrow.
Jules Bianchi – 15th (Free Practice 1):
« My morning session went well and the team learned a lot from the aerodynamic evaluation we did on our front wings. My first laps were not on the limit, but I picked up speed step by step in each stint as I became more and more confident with the conditions. The track wasn’t so clean to begin with and, although I improved during the session, my tires started to degrade at the same time. This was the second time I used the Medium tires and I was quite happy with their performance during the session. »
Nico Hülkenberg – 2nd (Free Practice 2):
« Only one session for me today, but it went very well and we were able to fit in a lot of work in the afternoon. I feel comfortable in the car and we managed some good stints with both types of tires today. I think the key factor for the rest of the weekend will be accommodating the tires if temperatures rise as expected and ensuring we can deliver the same level of performance. »
