Limited track time for Force India at Interlagos
The Sahara Force India team did not cover as many laps as hoped during this first day of testing, following Juncadella's accident which deprived Perez of FP2. However, Hülkenberg and Juncadella still managed to complete a total of 82 laps today, while the race will have 71.
Nico Hülkenberg had the chance to take part in both practice sessions of the day at Interlagos, and he was surprised by the weather conditions that were not as forecasted: Most of the forecasts predicted that the weather would be cloudy and rainy, but it turned out to be the opposite, hot and beautiful. We even saw the track reach 58°C, which made it challenging to manage both types of tires this afternoon.
But the German remains cautious for the rest of the weekend: « There could be cooler temperatures this weekend, so we need to be cautious about our conclusions tonight and the approach we will take tomorrow. »
On the other side of the garage, things did not go well for Daniel Juncadella, who sent his single-seater into a tire wall following an error: « It’s always nice to be back in the car, but it’s a shame to end the session with an accident. It was the strangest accident I’ve had, and I really didn’t expect it. The track was evolving very quickly because the asphalt is new and there was really only one line with grip. On this lap, I went a bit wide on the curb, which was too optimistic, and I had to catch the car. There was no space in the run-off area, so I damaged the front of the car. I apologized to the team and I’m sorry that this caused a loss of track time for Sergio. »
The Mexican driver therefore did not take part in FP1 or FP2 due to technical issues. But he remains optimistic for the rest of the weekend: « It’s disappointing not to have driven today and what happened to Daniel is simply bad luck. That’s how things go in Formula 1 and sometimes you have to accept that it’s not your day. The last practice session will be even more important but hopefully I can quickly get up to speed before qualifying. »
Vijay Mallya, the team owner, specified that Daniel Juncadella’s accident was not violent but it caused intense heat which damaged some hydraulic components.
