Assessment: Rain surprises Force India drivers

Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella, the two Force India drivers, finished far behind in this race in Malaysia, unlike in Melbourne. 17th and 18th place at the finish but with off-track excursions in the final seconds before the race was halted.

These are thus almost abandonments to note. The team is now eagerly awaiting a stable race to demonstrate its full potential.

Adrian Sutil – 17th:

« When the rain started to fall, it was very difficult if not impossible to drive. We were going at 20 km/h, and even at that speed, we were going off the track. It was incredible, and it was a good decision to stop the race. It’s a shame it didn’t restart because I think we had our chances in wet conditions. In the end, it was too dark to restart. In Shanghai, I hope to have another trouble-free weekend: we will improve our pace. »

Giancarlo Fisichella – 18th:

« Unfortunately, we made the wrong choice in terms of tires with the extremes. We put them on too early and I did three or four laps in dry conditions, which destroyed the tire. Then it rained, the grip was better, but there was so much water! I went aquaplaning. It wasn’t a good race for us due to poor strategy. »

Vijay Mallya – President and Team Principal:

« Today, in Malaysia, we experienced extreme conditions and took a risk with the strategy. Unfortunately, the rain we were expecting didn’t come soon enough. We are now moving forward to China and Bahrain. We are increasingly confident and the potential is there! We just need a good race to demonstrate it. »