Sunday: A Good Strategy for Sutil and Force India
After a qualifying session that did not hold much hope, the two Force India drivers delivered a solid race, taking advantage of the various events.
Adrian Sutil – 7th
I started the race on prime tires and our plan was to execute a one-stop strategy. When the first safety car came out, I pitted to put on the option tires and I knew I had to make them last a very long time. I tried to make them last, but they gave out 15 laps from the end and that was when I had many cars behind me. That’s how it was when I ran into the marbles at turn number 12, which caused a puncture on the right rear. But it was when the safety car came out and I changed tires at that moment, so I didn’t lose too much ground.
So I was in eighth place when the race restarted and I finished in seventh. It’s a good result for the team and we are very happy because we have been waiting for this for a while. I have many great memories in Monaco and this is another special moment to savor.
Paul di Resta – 12th
« I think everything was going well at the start, and our strategy seemed to be working. After my first stop, the team told me that I had to overtake Alguersuari to make my strategy work, so I attempted to overtake him at the hairpin. That’s when I made contact and damaged my front wing, which forced me to make a second early stop. I only have myself to blame for this accident because I was probably a bit too ambitious. It’s a shame because the car was working well and without this incident, I could have scored some points. »
Vijay Mallya
Today’s race was filled with excitement, drama, and good driving. With Adrian, I believe we judged the strategy perfectly and his seventh place is a great reward for the whole team. He did an excellent job managing his tires in the middle of the race when we planned to make only one stop. Towards the end of the race, we were a bit lucky with the safety car, but we reacted well and Adrian kept pushing hard to score six important points.
Paul’s race seemed compromised in the first laps when he sustained some damage after contact with the Toro Rosso. He might have been a little too eager to overtake, but it was his first Grand Prix in Monaco and he will learn from this for his experience.
