Force India confident of long run pace
Sahara Force India enjoyed two productive practice sessions in Yeongam in preparation for this weekend’s Korean Grand Prix. Although it's still early in the weekend, all drivers found they cars reasonably well balanced from the start.
Paul Di Resta, VJM05/02:
FP1: P9, 1:40.440, 19 laps
FP2: P13, 1:40.112, 34 laps
“It’s always difficult to judge too much from a Friday, but we got through our various programmes and got the data we needed for short and long runs. The long run pace looks quite competitive, but I don’t think my short run pace was representative because both my runs were compromised by traffic and I didn’t get a clean lap. I think we’ve got a reasonable idea of where we are, but there’s a lot of work to be done between now and final practice.”
Nico Hulkenberg, VJM05/03:
FP1: Did not take part
FP2: P9, 1:39.739, 33 laps
“I’m feeling pretty happy with today. I didn’t drive here last year so I spent the first few laps getting to grips with the circuit again and finding my rhythm. We did our programme, completed all the tests and have all the tyre data to look at tonight. Balance-wise I’m feeling pretty comfortable in the car so we’re in a good position and ready for tomorrow.”
Jules Bianchi, VJM05/03:
FP1: P13 1:41.140 21 laps
FP2: Did not take part
“I got my first experience of the track today so the first few laps were not easy as I tried to get familiar with the track as quickly as possible. Before I came here I watched a lot of videos of the circuit, but it still takes a while to get up to speed. I enjoyed the session and the track is really nice to drive. It’s an interesting lap because there is a bit of everything: big stops, long straights, quick corners and slow sections. The car felt pretty good today and I tuned the set-up a bit more with each run.”
Jakob Andreasen, Chief Engineer:
“After the issues we had in Japan last week, it was a relief to have a straightforward day of practice and get all the data we needed. The car is working well and the drivers are generally happy with the balance so I’d say we are not too far away from the sweet spot. Jules was in action this morning and did another excellent job. The track was quite dirty and he was driving here for the first time, but he steadily got on with things and evaluated some useful set-up options. The afternoon session showed that our long run pace looks encouraging and we’ve got a good feel for both the soft and super-soft tyres.”
