Sahara Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg has left behind the disappointment of not being able to finish the Formula One season opening race and hopes to give a good performance over the weekend in Sepang, Malaysia.
Hulkenberg, who had bagged the ninth place in the qualifying race in Melbourne, was unlucky to retire even before completing one lap in the main event.
He takes heart from the “good qualifying race” in Melbourne and hopes to be among the points in Sepang. “I am now fully focused on Malaysia because there is no point thinking about what might have been,” he said.
The race in Australia witnessed some stiff competition among teams in the middle of the pack and Hulkenberg expected the season to be even tougher.
“Definitely, it is going to be very competitive. It will come down to the details. It is going to be very tight. It will be important to put everything together well,” Hulkenberg said over phone on Thursday.
Hulkenberg's teammate Paul Di Resta, who gathered one point for Force India in Melbourne by finishing 10th, said he was ready for the challenges in the Malaysian Grand Prix, where heat and humidity would be the major hurdles.
“I have got bit of an idea (about Sepang). The temperature on the track will go up to 45-50 degree centigrade,” he said.
Di Resta said even though it would be difficult to challenge top teams, things were progressing well for Force India.
Meanwhile, Force India, in a statement, said the United Kingdom (UK) High Court had found Team Lotus (now Caterham) and Aerolab liable for copyright infringement and using confidential information respectively.
“Some parts created using Force India confidential information were used on the Team Lotus race cars in the early part of the 2010 season.”
The UK High Court judgement will be referred to Formula One's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
Force India had registered a complaint with a criminal court in Italy against former Team Lotus officials Mike Gascoyne, Tony Fernandes and Jean Claude Migeot.
