Japanese GP: Force India hopes to be in better shape

Force India has good reasons to believe that a strong result is within reach this weekend in the Land of the Rising Sun. The Suzuka circuit could suit the team’s car, the VJM02. In medium downforce configuration, it is efficient and very stable in high-speed corners. Additionally, it arrives in Japan with new developments. The most notable is the change in the location of the mirror mounts to the sidepods to create additional airflow, similar to Ferrari and more recently, BMW-Sauber.

Vijay Mallya, the director of the Indian team, hopes to return to the points after a disappointing race in Singapore where they didn’t score any. As a reminder, Force India had collected 13 points during the two previous weekends at Spa and Monza. In Singapore, the car was sufficiently competitive to fight for points, but the race was compromised right from the qualifications, which saw both drivers eliminated in Q1.

In the race, Adrian Sutil was first overtaken at the start by Jaime Alguersuari, then found himself stuck behind him before ending his race abruptly. On the 20th lap, he brushed against the rear of the Toro Rosso, spun out, and was hit by Heidfeld who couldn’t avoid him. He retired due to brake problems a few laps later, despite having pitted to change the wing.

For his part, Liuzzi could do nothing against Fisichella’s defensive driving, who was using the entire width of the track. Liuzzi spent his whole race watching the rear of Fisichella’s Ferrari. He tried to overtake him but had to rethink when Fisichella closed the door and they touched.

Adrian Sutil – Racing Driver

I’m really looking forward to this race. I lived in Japan for a year in 2006 when I was competing in the Japanese F3 championship and I know the track very well since I’ve often raced there. It’s a driver’s circuit, very difficult to learn, but it’s very rewarding when you nail a good lap. I think our car will perform well there because, as we’ve seen, we are very competitive on low to medium downforce tracks and Suzuka should suit us. I have confidence in the car and I think we should achieve good results.

Vitantonio Liuzzi – Racing Driver

I think that at Suzuka we will be in better shape. Singapore is a circuit where it’s difficult to feel confident because it requires total concentration and you have to stay clear of the walls. It’s not a classic situation. But having done the whole race helped me a lot. I think I am not far from my optimum speed anymore. I think we are ready for Suzuka. I raced there in 2006 and it’s a circuit I love. I am much more optimistic for this race, especially since the configuration of our car will be between that of Spa and that of Singapore; we will therefore be more competitive. This season has been quite crazy, but we are not to be pitied because we had two good races, Spa and Monza. The upcoming circuits should suit us well.

Vijay Mallya – Team Principal:

Suzuka is rather a low-downforce circuit, so it should suit us better. Moreover, both drivers know and love this track, so their confidence is quite high. Vitantonio is now at the peak of his speed and has finished perhaps the most physically demanding race of the year in Singapore. I hope to see us in Q2 again, and then we’ll see about the points in the race. This must be our goal for the rest of the season now.