Friday: Force India drivers slowed down by a brake problem
Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta both suffered from a brake issue during the second practice session, which cost them track time and altered the behavior of their Sahara Force India VJM06. However, both drivers remain confident in their ability to be competitive in tomorrow's qualifying and Sunday's race.
Paul Di Resta – 7th and 13th:
« It was a positive day. The overall balance is not too bad, even though there is still work to be done to improve the car in the fast part of the track. The main problem this afternoon was the brake issue on the front-left, which made me run wide at turn 8. The team decided to change the brakes, which cost us about 15 minutes of track time, but we were able to do a long stint on softs at the end of the session. »
James Calado – 14th [Free Practice 1]:
« The Yas Marina circuit is a track I know really well, so it was easy to get into the rhythm today, and after one or two laps, I was already completely comfortable. The rest of the session went well and I was able to conduct some setup comparison work. The balance felt good, but I experienced heavy wear with the mediums, especially in the last sector. »
Adrian Sutil – 15th [Free Practice 2]:
It’s hard to say much because today we had to change brakes in the middle of the second session. This had a strong impact on the car and it was difficult to make a comparison with the modifications made to the settings. There is a big difference between the two tire compounds and at the moment I’m struggling more with the mediums. The overall balance of the car is good, so I’m confident that we will be in good shape tomorrow.
