Currently languishing in eight in the 11-team championship standings in the current Formula One season, Vijay Mallya’s Sahara Force India will receive updates packages going into the Spanish Grand Prix, in Barcelona, this weekend. “It’s on schedule to be fitted to both cars ahead of Friday practice. It’s pretty comprehensive and the car will look quite different,” said Vijay Mallya, Team Principal, who hopes to see the VJM09 realise its true potential in Spain.
On the eventful race in Sochi, Mallya was happy with Sergio Perez’s performance in the eventful Russian GP. “In Sochi we were the innocent victims of the first lap chaos – as was the case in Bahrain too. It’s frustrating because, even with the benefit of hindsight, it’s hard to see what we could have done differently. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time with both cars, which caused a puncture for Sergio and ended Nico’s race. To see Sergio recover from the back of the pack and score points was a tremendous effort,” quipped Mallya.
“I hope we’ve used up all of our bad luck already! We’ve yet to see how we perform in a clean, trouble-free race without safety cars, red flags or accidents. Despite not realising our potential in Sochi, we took encouragement from our qualifying and race pace: the car is improving and we’ve got a good base on which to build. There are 17 races to go and I’m confident the best is yet to come. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Meanwhile, Nico Hülkenberg cannot wait to get cracking in Barcelona as he loves the city and the “Spanish Lifestyle”. He said: “When you get to Barcelona to start the European season, you start to realise just how quickly the year is passing. It’s a chance to get back into a normal routine because you don’t have so many long flights or time zone changes, so it’s a bit easier from that regard.
“I love the city of Barcelona and the Spanish lifestyle in the sunshine. We’ve already spent a couple of weeks there for winter testing, but when you come back for the race everything is different: the cars have evolved, the temperatures are warmer, and you have to work hard to find the right set-up. That’s why it’s a tricky circuit because confidence counts for a lot and, if you’re not totally comfortable your lap times really suffer.
Sergio Perez is ready for whatever comes his way in Barcelona and hopes to add to the points he scored in Sochi. “The atmosphere in Barcelona is always special and for me it’s one of the best tracks of the year. I enjoy the layout because it’s a true test of your car with a bit of everything, especially long, quick corners, which all the drivers enjoy.
“Barcelona will be the first chance to run our updated car. It’s going to be a huge task to understand everything on Friday, but it’s always exciting to try new parts on the car.”
Comments
SHARE