No surprises for Force India in Melbourne
After experiencing a difficult winter in terms of finances, which caused a delay in the debut of the VJM08, Force India did not perform miracles in Melbourne during the qualifying session.
Despite being recognized for his good driving skills in the paddock, Nico Hülkenberg couldn’t do much during the first qualifying session of the year and secured a disappointing 14th place on the starting grid with a time of 1:29.208.
« We always want to be a little higher on the starting grid, but we have to be realistic », explains the German. « I don’t think we were competitive enough today to get into Q3. However, it is only the first qualifying session of the year. So it’s a little early to talk about our performances, especially since many new things are coming. »
I loved this qualifying session; I felt comfortable in the car, and the team worked well. Tomorrow, I’m optimistic for the race since our pace should be a bit better, as it was already the case last year.
On his side, Sergio Pérez qualified just behind his teammate with an almost identical time of 1:29.209. The Mexican is obviously disappointed with his session and hopes to move up tomorrow.
« It was quite a difficult session and the wind seems to have had a big impact on our car, » says Pérez. « In terms of performance, I think we are where we thought we would be because we knew we could go into Q2 and we were able to get the most out of the car. »
« For tomorrow, we know that anything can happen in the race. It’s unpredictable and sometimes you have to be patient. You need to see what the weather will be like because the wind and track temperatures can play a big role. Whatever happens, I will work hard to be competitive in the race and score some points. »
