Force India focussing on long runs
The Force India F1 Team today reacclimatised to the unique challenges of the Bahrain International Circuit on the opening day of practice for this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix. Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella completed a programme of evaluating the tyre options available this weekend and fine-tuning their race set-ups.
After a solid morning performance the duo put in long runs in the afternoon to test the balance and reliability for the race, setting competitive times without major mechanical issues.
The only minor problem faced was both drivers missing opportunities to record a fast lap on new tyres in the closing minutes of the afternoon, which led to the relatively low positions. The team is therefore confident that a better performance indicator will be established in tomorrow's qualifying, which will start at 14:00 local time.
Adrian Sutil: "The morning session was not great as the harder tyre was very hard and with the green track conditions it was difficult to get a balance. In the afternoon it was much better with the softer tyre and for the first time I could feel a real difference between the two compounds, which was a definite improvement. I am quite happy as now we know we can work with the tyres, we can improve tomorrow. It was a shame in the last corner that there was that incident with Alonso, but it happens. It seemed he lost a bit of downforce under braking and locked up the rear but it wasn't really a problem."
Giancarlo Fisichella: "It was not so easy to find the right set-up today: we have under steer in some corners, but then oversteer in others. At the end of the afternoon when we were ready to try new tyres we had a problem on the rear wing and I just left the pits too late to get a good lap in, so we couldn't improve and do a good lap time. There are some small improvements with the new parts but we have some work to do overnight."
Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer "A productive day evaluating the tyres and working on the race set-up. Initially the balance wasn't great, but this afternoon it improved and the cars were reasonably consistent and the tyre picture is very clear. With the new parts we have made another step forward, with both drivers having very good pace over the longer runs. Unfortunately however neither was able to do a lap at the end of the day on new tyres. Nevertheless the cars look very competitive and I think we can have a good day tomorrow. Both drivers did a good job and Adrian in particular felt more comfortable in the car than he has done since the start of the season, which is very positive for both him and the team."
