Force India at ease in the rain

The Force India VJM09s seemed at ease during testing for the Australian Grand Prix held on a wet track. Despite the difficult conditions, Nico Hulkenberg was able to set the second time of the afternoon less than half a second behind Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) which remained the Friday reference.

« It was very complicated with the wind and the rain”, admitted the 2015 winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “There were significant gusts which caused the car, even in straight lines. The conditions were therefore not optimal for testing and learning. »

“I was able to do a short stint on soft tires this morning, but the track was still very wet and it didn't really represent dry running”, added the German. “I worked with the intermediates in the afternoon to get an idea of ​​how the car will behave if the rain returns tomorrow. It was one of those days where you have to be content with what you have. »

Sergio Pérez, for his part, finished the two sessions with the ninth fastest time. “As soon as the track started to dry, the rain came back. It was frustrating not being able to do what was on the agenda. We seem quite competitive in intermediates, but we can't rely too much on the times because it depended on the track conditions. The weather forecast for tomorrow remains uncertain, but we will start from scratch if it is dry. On the other hand, the settings found with the intermediate tires will be very useful if it rains again,” added the Mexican.