Saturday: Hülkenberg and Perez in Q3 at Force India
The two Sahara Force India drivers managed to break into the top 10 during the qualifying in Germany. Nico Hülkenberg, 9th, is ahead of Sergio Perez, but both drivers are counting on their race pace to move up in the hierarchy.
Nico Hülkenberg (#27) – 10th and 9th
The German driver knew he didn’t have the machine to shine in front of his home crowd on a single lap. But he plans to make up for it during the race: « I am quite happy and satisfied with my 9th place, which pretty much matches our expectations. This weekend, our one-lap pace is not the best but being in the top ten positions us well and gives us the opportunity to make the most of our promising long-run pace. »
The key for Sunday will be tire management and the weather: « I think tomorrow’s race will be difficult because of the heat, and tire management will be essential. Hotter races have been rather favorable for us this season. We hope it will be the same tomorrow. Points for both cars must be the goal. »
Sergio Perez (No. 11) – 14th and 10th
If the Mexican driver ultimately ranks 10th, he might not have participated in Q2 due to a technical issue: « I am very happy to have made it to Q3 because the team did an extraordinary job preparing the car after a small problem in Q2. We couldn’t finish our first run on new tires, which complicated things because we were losing all our references. The track was changing rapidly with the wind and high temperatures. So, we had only one opportunity to get into Q3. We succeeded by putting in a great lap. »
He is thus satisfied with his place on the grid, which leaves the doors open for tomorrow’s race: « I think that 9th and 10th in Q3 is an honest result today, but I expect us to be stronger during the race tomorrow, especially if the track remains dry. It will be a race where we will have to manage our tires as best as possible. I am confident that we can achieve a good result.»
