Sunday: Sutil tames Button and Alonso for Force India
Once again, both Force India drivers finish in the points, with Adrian Sutil even enabling the Indian team to record its best performance on the streets of Monaco, thanks in particular to two overtakes at the Loews hairpin on Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso. Meanwhile, Paul di Resta overcame a serious handicap, moving up from 17th place on the grid to 9th at the finish.
Adrian Sutil – 5th:
The fifth place is fantastic. It’s exactly the result we needed and I’m very happy right now. The car was behaving really well and we maximized the opportunities that came our way. It was difficult to make progress during the first half of the race while I was stuck in a little train of cars, but the red flag gave us opportunities. It meant everyone was on the same “sprint” strategy until the end of the race. I noticed that the Loews hairpin was a place where there was an overtaking opportunity, so I tried with Jenson [Button] and it worked. Then, I did the same with Fernando [Alonso] and it worked again. So I think I’ve proven that it’s possible to overtake in Monaco. The team did an excellent job all weekend and we certainly deserve this result today.
Paul di Resta – 9th:
« Given the position from which we launched, we had adopted an aggressive strategy, and it would have undoubtedly paid off without the safety cars. Our pace was solid, but I was stuck behind a lot of traffic at the beginning of the race. I managed to overtake a few cars going into the first corner, but towards the end of the race, the cars were more in a queue, and it wasn’t easy. I was stuck behind Vergne after the restart and had a good chance to overtake him, but he defended very well. Fortunately, with the cars fighting in front and colliding with each other, I gained a few positions and scored some points. So, after yesterday’s disappointment, the guys did a great job, and it’s good to continue my streak of points finishes. »
