Friday: Solid Force India, Tranquil Hülkenberg, Insufficient Pérez
The day for the Sahara Force India team went relatively well. Nico Hülkenberg did not encounter major problems and was able to complete his program without too much difficulty. On the other hand, Sergio Pérez was a bit less fortunate after missing part of the first free practice session. Both drivers experienced significant tire degradation.
Nico Hülkenberg (no. 27) – 8th and 10th
The German driver seems satisfied with his day: « We completed our entire program, and there were no major issues on my side. Of course, the temperature is very high, which makes the conditions difficult here. »
He does admit, however, to having some issues with the tires: « Tire management is quite difficult on long stints. It’s even more challenging this year because there’s more wheelspin with these engines and greater degradation at the rear axle. »
But, ultimately, he believes there is potential to unlock: « We collected the usual data set for the tires and set-up, but I think we can improve his car. I just need additional traction and to modify the balance of the car before the last practice session. »
Sergio Pérez (No. 11) – 20th and 16th
The Mexican driver had a difficult start to the weekend after missing a large part of FP1: « I didn’t have much time to run on the hard tires. In the afternoon, we tried to improve the car but I think we still have a lot of work to do before we’re ready for qualifying. »
He confirms his teammate’s comments on the degradation: « The performance gap between the hard and medium tires isn’t huge, but we suffered from significant degradation on both types of tires. »
