Perez: 'We're well prepared for Melbourne'

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Sergio Perez believes Force India and its VJM10 are well prepared for the season's opening round in Melbourne.

The Mexican enjoyed a solid day of running on Friday, diligently completing the team's development programmes while fine-tuning his mount for 128 productive laps.

"I think we are well prepared for Melbourne." said Perez.

"We’ve been reliable this week and hit our targets in a lot of areas – especially in terms of getting miles on the car. We’ve learned a huge amount and understood where we can improve.

"Today was my busiest day in the car so far doing a bit of everything – short runs, long runs and set-up work to understand where we can find more performance from this car.

"Covering 128 laps is a positive way to end our pre-season and I’m really looking forward to Melbourne."

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Chief race engineer Tom McCullough was equally satisfied with the conclusion of Force India's two-week residency in Catalonia.

"Overall, it has been a successful second week of testing. We showed good reliability and were able to complete the vast majority of a very ambitious test programme.

"This leaves us with a good understanding of the VJM10 and the 2017 tyres. Testing slightly later in the year resulted in more representative track temperatures and that has been helpful. "

McCullough insisted however that the team still had a lot on its plate between now and its departure for Australia.

"There’s a lot of data for us to digest and we will be working hard between now and Melbourne to maximise what we have for the first few races of the year.

"To design a completely new car and run it as successfully as we did in these two weeks with just some minor teething problems is a big achievement for our team and we’re confident we are ready for the season."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.