Nico Hulkenberg described his start at the British Grand Prix as "sensational" as he finished seventh at Silverstone.
Starting from ninth, Hulkenberg was fifth by the first corner and held off the two Ferrari drivers until the opening round of pit stops. Eventually dropping back to finish seventh, Hulkenberg was delighted with the progress he made when the lights went out.
"My start was sensational – maybe the best I ever had in Formula One – and I rocketed up to fifth place ahead of the two Ferraris," Hulkenberg said. "I was able to keep them behind me for the first stint, but they had too much pace and were able to use the strategy to jump us by pitting early."
With Force India scoring strong points at a circuit it struggled at last season, Hulkenberg says it is clear its B-spec car delivers a major step forward.
"When the rain arrived at the end of the race the track was very slippery. I was a bit unfortunate with the timing because I had just passed the pit lane entry when the rain became really heavy and I had to do a full lap before I could change to intermediates.
"Overall, though, I think seventh place is a great result and we should be satisfied. A lot of the performance today is down to the updates we brought here. It’s moved us in the right direction so I have to say a big well done to the team.”
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