Hulkenberg hails 'mega' quali lap

Nico Hulkenberg enjoyed an impressive showing in qualifying this afternoon, putting his Force India fifth on the grid and splitting the Red Bull and Ferrari pairs.

At the outset, the German extracted the most from his car and its tyres on a busy and heating track while also driving flawlessly for the occasion.

"The car just got better and better through qualifying with the track gripping up," said Hulkenberg.

"Due to the altitude, this is quite a low-downforce track, and track evolution just seemed to help the car and pick up the balance and the pace for us.

"We did a good job as well understanding the tyres and getting them into the sweet spot. My first lap in Q3 was mega, I don't there was anything more I could have squeezed out of there. All in all, it was just a really good qualifying."

Hulkenberg has suffered from a few bad starts recently, finding himself in a melee or slow off the line.

Sandwiched tomorrow between a pair of Red Bulls and Ferraris, the Force India driver will be looking to take advantage of any possible gap while also staying out of trouble on the long run down to Turn One.

"You always have to be careful at the start. Every start has a different dynamic, so you just have to play it by ear and see where the gap is.

"Last weekend wasn't great but it was my mistake. I think we should be fine tomorrow. Last year, everybody survived, so I'm not too concerned."

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