Force India on track in Melbourne

Force India had a decent first day of testing at the Australian Grand Prix even though Sergio Pérez and Nico Hulkenberg did not panic the times but between them they were able to pass the barrier of one hundred laps covered at the end of the first two sessions. The VJM07s will still be able to evolve during the last hour of testing, especially since the weather conditions could change significantly tomorrow. “The first two sessions went more or less as planned,” recognizes Vijay Mallya, the Team Principal and Managing Director of the Indian team. “The two cars drove without problems throughout the day, allowing us to make good progress with the settings and the different stages of our program. Our tire evaluations were also positive and we collected a lot of data with the two cars running slightly different programs. »

Nico Hülkenberg was fastest, taking tenth place on the day after covering 56 laps, but the German ended up in the gravel trap with just a few minutes to go. “I am quite satisfied because the day was rather calm with many things to learn”, comments the Force India driver who finished 1”429 behind the reference time of Lewis Hamilton. “I had a hot moment in the second session when I put a wheel in the grass while braking, but the conditions were tricky as the sun was very low in the sky at the time. Otherwise, the day went well in terms of reliability and we seem quite competitive so far. Both types of tires (soft and medium) work quite well, but there is still room to improve with the balance. This is what we are focusing on tonight. »

For his debut with Force India, Sergio Pérez is on pace with his new teammate, finishing in 13th place, 1”658 behind the best time after completing 60 laps. “This day was productive in terms of the work carried out and I think we can be confident for the rest of the weekend”, comments Checo who does not exactly share Nico Hülkenberg's opinion on the VJM07. “We still have areas to improve, but the most important thing is to have been able to collect a lot of data. I am satisfied with the overall balance of the car, which proves that we have made good progress with the settings. My stint wasn't ideal because of the traffic, but we recovered what was essential to make our decisions. »

The final free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix will take place from 4 a.m. French time and can be followed live on AUTOhebdo.fr. Discover the photos of the tests on this link.