Saturday: Despite an elimination in Q2, points remain the objective for Force India drivers
The two Force India drivers, Nico Hülkenberg and Sergio Pérez, saw their qualifying end as early as Q2, with neither man managing to break into the top 10. However, they are convinced they can fight for points in the race.
Nico Hülkenberg (n°27) – 11th and 11th
The German had to stop in Q2 when he was close to Q3, but he remains confident for the race: I was close to being in the top 10 – half a tenth could have made the difference, but I think we knew it would be tight in qualifying. That being said, 11th is a good starting position: it gives us more flexibility in terms of strategy; I’ll be able to choose my tires at the start, and I’m feeling optimistic about our race pace.
Sergio Perez (No. 11) – 14th and 13th
The Mexican will start a little further back than his teammate but is confident that he can fight for points in the race because it is possible to overtake on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve: « It was a tricky qualifying session that turned out to be more complicated than expected. I will start 13th, but I remain positive about our chances in the race because it’s a very unusual circuit where you can move up in the hierarchy and take advantage of anything that might happen during the race. We have good top speed and that will be important. »
