Saturday: The Force India cars do not advance to Q2

After the Belgian exploit and the Italian dream, a return to reality was expected in Singapore. The Force India team had predicted that repeating the performances of the previous two Grand Prix races would be complicated. In contrast to high-speed circuits, Singapore is in line with city circuits, like the famous Monaco or the recent Valencia circuit. It was on Saturday morning that the 3rd practice session took place, in which Adrian Sutil finished in 17th position, just behind his Italian teammate, Vitantonio Liuzzi, in 16th place.

The qualifying session lived up to the free practice performances. Neither of the Force India drivers managed to make it to Q2, despite the final attempt by German Adrian Sutil, who ended up right at the doorstep of Q2 in 16th position. Liuzzi, participating in his second Grand Prix of the year, finished last. Disappointing performances, but the Force India team will want to prove to everyone that anything is possible in the race… especially in Singapore!

Adrian Sutil – 17th and 16th:

As we can see, we are still very fast on the straights and at high-speed tracks like Spa and Monza, but here, it’s all about downforce. It’s a very similar setup to Monaco but twice as long and with a lot more corners, which is why we lost so much time on a lap. We’ve had an issue with grip levels all weekend. I expected us to be a bit more competitive, but everything is very tight, and if you lose a bit of time in traffic, suddenly you find yourself behind. I lost a bit of time on my last fast lap when Giancarlo [Fisichella] was in front of me in the second sector, and I ended up in 16th place. It will be difficult, but we will see what we can do. It’s a long race and nothing is impossible especially when we give our best.

Vitantonio Liuzzi – 16th and 20th:

« We knew we would struggle on this type of circuit compared to low downforce tracks like Spa or Monza, but we didn’t expect to be this far off. We haven’t managed to find the right balance yet, and Adrian and I seem to have the same issue. My fastest lap was very clean, maybe there were one or two tenths more to gain, but qualifying in Q2 would have been really difficult. With more fuel on board, we are quite competitive but given our position on the grid, it will be tough. However, on a circuit like this, anything can happen, and if we maintain a good race pace and a good balance, we could still score points. City circuits are always a bit crazy, so we must not give up right away! »

Dr Vijay Mallya – Team Principal:

Following the excellent performances at Monza and Spa, we expected a more difficult challenge. We thought we would have a fast car, but unfortunately, we were not up to the mark. We look forward to the Grand Prix, which will be eventful, long, and difficult, and we will do our best to run our race and hopefully score some points. I anticipate a better performance on the traditional circuits of Suzuka and Interlagos, which will suit us better.