Friday: Force India and Hülkenberg expect a lot from the Grand Prix
This first day of free practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix of Formula 1 was relatively calm for the Force India drivers, despite a challenging run for Sergio Perez with medium tires. Nico Hülkenberg and he believe that the pace of their car during long stints suggests promising prospects for Sunday.
Nico Hülkenberg (no. 27) – 12th and 13th
The German had a usual, problem-free day: « We conducted all the parts tests we had on our list, so from that point of view, it was a calm day. »
Work must be done for the qualifications, but confidence prevails for the race: « We still have work to do on our one-lap runs to find a bit of time, but when we look at our pace on long runs, we are in good shape. The car seems good, which is promising at this point of the weekend. The key factor on Sunday will be tire management, as in almost every race. The weather is uncertain, but it will be hot no matter what happens, and we must make the most of this situation. »
Sergio Perez (No. 11) – 16th and 15th
Less easy was the Mexican’s Friday, who didn’t find the right settings for the medium tires: « It was a difficult day, especially during the running with the medium tires. We need to look at all the data collected, each lap, and analyze it to solve the few problems we had. »
On the other hand, like his teammate, he expects a lot from the race pace: « On a more positive note, we seem to be more competitive in terms of race pace. We just need to tweak a few setup options to get the best out of the close battle in the midfield. Grid position will be crucial here in Hungary because overtaking is very difficult, and it will give us a good chance for Sunday, especially with the really hot temperatures that are expected. »
