Friday: Force India competitive but behind…

The Force India team continues on the same trajectory as a week ago in Australia by being relatively performant. In the afternoon, drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil came close to first place.

In the end, they still finished well outside the top 10 and even outside the top 15 for the German. Fisichella, a former Renault driver, was the victim of the day’s most serious incident. He went off the track, hitting the tire wall at relatively low speed, necessitating a yellow flag.

Adrian Sutil – 15th and 16th:

« It was a good day overall. We completed all our tasks and had no issues with the car. We have work to do with the setup, mainly on the level of downforce in the fast corners. We can still make improvements in this area. The ‘Soft’ tires seem to be working quite well, but it’s still a bit early to make an overall assessment. So it was a good setup day. »

Giancarlo Fisichella – 12th and 19th:

« We are always trying to find the best compromise under braking because often I had to lock the wheels and the grip was far from perfect. However, in terms of operation, it’s not too bad. This accident in the afternoon is very frustrating because there was a bit of graining on the tires and I lost control of the car. I was a bit lucky not to hit the barriers head-on. »

Simon Roberts – Operations Manager

« We managed to wrap up most of the programs today during both sessions. The afternoon was conducted with ‘Soft’ tires, so we now have a good amount of data. »

« Unfortunately, Giancarlo went off track in the final stages of the second session and damaged the car. Nevertheless, I think we have a good base to move forward from now. In the meantime, before the race, I hope that tomorrow we will be at the same level as last week or even slightly better! »