After returning empty handed from the last race in China, Force India drivers are hoping to be among the points as the F1 action moves to Europe with Turkish Grand Prix this weekend.
Force India drivers have managed four points so far from the races in Australia and Malaysia and are aiming to make Q3, but are also wary of at Istanbul Park’s turn eight, which is quite challenging due to high gravitational force.
Through turn eight, the drivers experience a maximum lateral force of more than 5g, and average lateral force of 4.2g for over three seconds.
Adrian Sutil is satisfied with the team’s performance so far and is hoping to do better in the upcoming races.
“In many ways the first three races were better than expected. We scored points and were always quite close to the top—10. As a team, I think we did a good job and we’ve shown we have pretty solid reliability.
“For this weekend, I’m looking forward to racing in Istanbul and I enjoy going there. Turn eight is very special — a fantastic corner to experience in an F1 car because of the high g—forces. I think we will be quite competitive and once again the goal is to score points,” Sutil said.
Paul Di Resta, who qualified eighth on the grid in China, said he’s working hard on the simulator to get a hang of the circuit since he has not driven here before.
“I didn’t take part in Friday practice last year and I’ve never driven the track. All I have to go on is the simulator work I’ve carried out in preparation for the event.
“Turn eight will be difficult, but the other corners are equally important for a good laptime. For learning a new track the simulation work helps and the team also provide me with as much information as possible. But I need to get an impression first before I think too much about it,” he said.
Vijay Mallya, Chairman and Team Principal, is extremely happy with his drivers and has high hopes from them.
“I’m very proud of both our drivers, too. Paul has driven superbly and has adapted very quickly to Formula One. Combined with Adrian’s speed and experience, I see no reason why we cannot challenge for points at every race this year,” he said.
Nico Hulkenberg, test and reserve driver, said, “Turn eight is the most exciting part: it’s a super—quick triple left corner, which means not only a big challenge, but also a lot of fun. And the back straight with turn 11, as well as the entire third sector, is very tricky and challenging.”
Force India will evaluate a new front wing design during practice as part of the VJM04’s aero development programme.
