Friday Report – An Electrified Fisichella at Force India

The promising Force India team put in a very strong performance for the start of the free practice sessions in Melbourne, Australia. Giancarlo Fisichella is far ahead of his teammate Adrian Sutil.

The Italian posted the 12th best time in the first session, just two-tenths off the top 10, and the 9th fastest time in the afternoon. Such a strong performance by the former Spyker was last achieved during the Monaco tests in 2007. Adrian Sutil struggled a bit more on the second VJM01 as he finished only 17th in both sessions.

Today, the duo focused on the car’s setup and completed a total of 101 laps. Only one minor mechanical issue occurred with an oil leak for Sutil during the first session.

Adrian Sutil – 17th and 17th

« I think the day went very well. The track was slippery at the beginning, so it was difficult to find a good balance. After the first session, everything improved. We had a small hydraulic problem before lunch, but it was quickly resolved and we were able to resume our work in the afternoon with some very good intermediate times. »

« In the end, I had a bit less luck, I found myself in traffic on my best lap, so I couldn’t set a good time despite having new tires, but tomorrow is another day and I think we should be more competitive than last year. »

Giancarlo Fisichella – 12th and 9th

« These were very good tests today, it looks very promising. We made a big step forward over the winter, and with the development of new parts that we have here, we are not too bad. »

« I am happy with the work accomplished so far, both for the team and for myself because we work well together. It’s a good start. »

Mike Gascoyne – Technical Director

A very good day during which we focused on race setup and tire evaluation. Overall, the tires were tested by the lack of grip, but as the track improves from hour to hour, I’m sure this aspect will soon disappear. We now need to confirm these strong performances during qualifying and the race.