Friday: Force India’s pace seems competitive
A quiet day for the Indian firm as Nico Hülkenberg was able to complete his program and gather essential data, while Jules Bianchi and Paul di Resta swapped seats in the other Force India, with the Scotsman believing he still has work to do tomorrow.
Nico Hülkenberg – 9th and 9th:
« I feel very happy today. I didn’t race here last year, so I used the very first laps to get familiar with the circuit and find my rhythm. We covered our program, completed all the tests, and I have all the tire data to review tonight. In terms of balance, I feel very comfortable in the car, so we are in a good position and ready for tomorrow. »
Paul di Resta – 13th [Free Practice 2]:
« It’s always difficult to say much from a Friday, but we have completed our various programs and obtained the data we needed for both short and long stints. The pace on the long stints seems quite competitive, but I don’t think my pace on the short stints was representative because both of my runs were compromised by traffic and I didn’t have a clean lap. I think we have a fair idea of where we are, but there’s a lot of work to do between today and the final practice session. »
Jules Bianchi – 13th [Free Practice 1]:
« I had my first experience on this circuit today, so the first laps weren’t easy as I tried to familiarize myself with the track as quickly as possible. Before coming here, I watched a lot of videos of the circuit, but it always takes time to gain speed. I enjoyed the session and the track is really nice to drive. It’s an interesting lap because it has a bit of everything: heavy braking, long straights, fast corners, and slow sections. The car feels really good today, and I fine-tuned the settings a little more with each stint. »
