Friday: Intensive testing at Force India
While Nico Hülkenberg focused on developing the car by testing different wing configurations, Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil concentrated on evaluating the tires on a still green track.
Paul Di Resta – 12th and 9th
The morning was very positive, we completed the program and learned a bit more about the aerodynamic package we used at Nürburgring last week. This allowed us to do our usual performance stints and long stints to collect data on the two types of tires.
It was good to do 40 laps during the second practice session and it allowed me to find more speed on the track which is still new to me.
The circuit was very green to start with and the grip was high, and it improved even more by the end of the day.
Adrian Sutil – Non-participation and 10th
It’s a fairly normal Friday for me, and we accomplished most of what was planned. I had difficulties finding grip today, especially at the beginning of the session, and I had to wrestle with the car. But I think it was largely due to the fact that the track was still quite green. We know it always gets better session after session, so I don’t think we need to worry about it.
In the afternoon, the long stints went well and provided us with plenty of information on the soft and supersoft tires ahead of the race.
Nico Hülkenberg – 13th and non-participation
« I started my program by trying different front wing concepts to collect data on their characteristics. Then we went back to the usual setup and I did a reference stint, and the car was behaving quite well.
I struggled a little to get the brakes up to temperature but overall it was still a good session and the soft tires held up quite well for me.
