Sutil blames poor car-pace for missing points in Turkey

May 10, 2011 07:06 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 01:14 am IST - Istanbul

Force India Formula One driver Adrian Sutil. File photo

Force India Formula One driver Adrian Sutil. File photo

Force India's Adrian Sutil says lack of pace was major reason to miss out on points at Turkish Grand Prix but is hoping the new aerodynamic changes being made to the car will help them finish in top-10 in the next race in Barcelona.

Sutil finished 13th while his teammate Paul Di Resta had to retire due to technical snags.

“Before the race we knew we had to hope for a lucky race. Maybe some retirements in front of us, and then we could score points. There were no problems or mistakes from the team or myself, and we did the optimum strategy, but the pace was not there. That's why I actually lost one place and finished 13th after Kobayashi came all the way from the back,” Sutil said while assessing team's performance.

“We tried a new front wing on Friday that we will hopefully introduce in Barcelona, and we got some important data. For Barcelona I'm quite confident. It looks promising. It will be a big step if it works, and that’s what we need right now,” he added.

The German said he enjoyed the challenge of battling with Suber drivers during the race.

“I had a lot of fights, and that’s why I enjoyed my day. With both Sauber drivers I had a lot of fights. I was also chasing Rubens, and I passed Michael once. There were always some cars in front and behind, so you had to really attack and defend quite a lot. It was a good race, I really enjoyed it.”

Sutil also defended his three stops strategy. “I think the strategy was the right one. Paul was actually trying a four-stop before he retired, and he would have been behind me by 10-15 seconds out of the pit. Maybe he

would have gained a little bit back in the end, but I’m pretty sure my strategy was the right one,” he said.

Talking about the Barceloana circuit, which is to host next race on May 22, Sutil said such is his familiarity with the facility that he feels “bored” driving there.

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