Force India
Nico Hulkenberg
“I was in the car for the evening session only, but it wasn’t a big disadvantage because that’s when the track conditions are representative of what we’ll experience in qualifying and the race. I felt quite good with the car straight away and I was able to find a good rhythm quickly. There’s still some work to do with the balance, because it’s not where I want it to be yet, but we should be able to find some extra grip overnight.”
Sergio Perez
“It was a positive day for us. We managed to complete a big programme and we have plenty of information to analyse tonight. Looking at the times, I don’t see any big surprises: we are where we expected to be before the weekend started and we’ve done some good race preparation. The track evolved a lot between the sessions, especially with the temperature drop between FP1 and FP2, but I think we’re nearly there in terms of set-up. I think we have done a good job and I am really looking forward to tomorrow.”
Alfonso Celis
“This is where I made my Formula One debut one year ago, so it was the chance to show how much I have learned over the last twelve months. Every time I get in the car, it gets easier, and knowing the team well means that once the helmet is on I can just focus on my driving. I am pleased with my performance today – working through the job list and giving the team plenty of information to study this evening.”
Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“It was a good first day of work, with lots of data gathered and no major concerns with the car. Alfonso did a good job in FP1 and Nico was straight on the pace when he returned for FP2. Track evolution was something to take into account, even during the hot FP1 session, but once the sun had set the track settled down to what we expected – and these are the conditions that will be representative for qualifying and the race. We made some adjustments to the car in the opening session to help the drivers and they responded positively to the changes. There is still quite a lot of work to do before qualifying, but we are confident of extracting some more performance overnight.”
