Force India upgrade ‘a big difference’ - Perez

Sergio Perez claims the upgrade that Force India added to its VJM09 has “made a big difference”, as the Mexican heads to this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix on the back of a strong podium in Monaco.

Having secured its best ever result in the Constructors’ championship with fifth in 2015, Force India initially struggled to recapture the sort of pace that saw it regularly outperform the likes of Williams and Red Bull at the end of last year.

The Silverstone-based outfit introduced a new package in Barcelona last month and has scored 29 of its 37 points since.

“The changes we’ve made to the car recently have made a big difference,” Perez said, echoing what chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer told F1i. “I have a good feeling with the car; it’s giving me confidence to really push and that’s very important for a track like Montreal.

“It is one of my favourite circuits: I was on the podium there in 2012 [with Sauber]; I had one of my best races in 2014 and I feel positive ahead of this year’s race.

“It’s an old school track and, while the layout is much faster than Monaco, it shares some of its characteristics: it’s a circuit that rewards bravery and punishes mistakes, a place where the driver can make a difference.”

Looking back once again at his third place finish in the streets of Monte Carlo, Perez added: “There is no better confidence boost than a race like the one we had in Monaco. It was a perfect weekend and a very satisfying result considering some of the bad luck we experienced at the start of the season.

“When I was a kid I always dreamed of standing on the Monaco podium and it was very special to be there celebrating with my team.”

Force India currently occupies fifth position in the Constructors’ standings, 29 points behind Williams and seven ahead of Toro Rosso.

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