Upgrades give Force India big step forward
The Force India Formula One Team has finished a sweltering European Grand Prix with Adrian Sutil in 10th and Giancarlo Fisichella in 12th position. Adrian's result is Force India's fourth top 10 finish this season, and his best result since the season opening Australian Grand Prix, while Giancarlo's is his fifth top 12 position this year.
Adrian used a two stop strategy to move up two places on his grid position and enjoyed a race long battle with the two BMWs, passing Heidfeld on his first stop on lap 22 and putting pressure on Kubica on his second stint. On his third run Adrian then chased the Red Bull of Mark Webber for ninth position, matching the Australian's lap times, to finish just three seconds away at the flag fall.
Giancarlo made a good start off the line and finished the first lap in 13th position, three places up on his grid slot. Using a one-stop strategy he was able to safeguard this position and move up a further place midway through the race. Despite pressure from Jarno Trulli's Toyota in the closing laps, Giancarlo held on to the finish to claim a strong 12th place.
Adrian Sutil (car 20): "Today was a good performance with no mistakes, good lap times and we showed a clear step forward. I think tenth was the maximum we could do from 12th position on the grid. It was a very tough race, very hot, but everything worked perfectly. I was behind the two BMWs for my first stint and couldn't get past on the track but the team did a really good stop and I could pass Heidfeld in the pitlane. I'm really looking forward to Spa now - I love the track and with the pace we've shown this weekend it's looking promising for a good result there."
Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21): "It was a difficult race as the grid position was not as good as we had hoped so we used a one-stop strategy, which gave us an opportunity to gain some positions. I made a very good start, keeping clear of the collision and was running in 13th at the end of the first lap, right behind Adrian. The first stint on the hard tyres was very consistent with a good pace. Then we changed to the soft tyres and it was a bit tricky as there was some graining. I could keep a good pace though I had to watch the tyres to keep them until the end. Twelfth is a good result for us. We made a few positions and now seem to be ahead of Toyota and some other cars. We need another step like we made this weekend and we can easily score points."
Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal: "Overall it's been a strong performance for us all weekend and probably our most competitive race in two seasons. The upgrades we introduced this race have clearly given us a big step forward and we're now really mixing it in the midfield positions. I'd like to say thanks to all the team back at Silverstone who have worked very hard to get the development through, and to the drivers for doing it justice. I can't wait to get to Belgium now."
Adrian Sutil (car 20, VJM02/01):
10th +47.935secs
Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21, VJM02/04):
12th +63.614secs
