Saturday: Nico Hülkenberg couldn’t do better for Sahara Force India
If Nico Hülkenberg and Sergio Perez did not manage to enter Q3 during the Singapore GP F1 qualifying, they believe they couldn't have done better. However, they think that points are still achievable at the end of the race.
Nico Hülkenberg (No. 27) – 11th and 13th
The German doesn’t see what he could have improved during these qualifications: « The qualification hour in Singapore is always intense and stressful, but I hoped to be a bit more competitive and sneak into the top 10. But it turned out that Q3 was only a few tenths away, but my lap was pretty good. »
He will be on the attack for the race, playing on the tire strategy: « I am positive for the race because we are free in our choice of tires at the start and Singapore is always a long race, where a lot happens. There are several possible strategies because we saw yesterday that there was a lot of degradation with both types of compounds. » Under these conditions, he has only one objective: to score points.
Sergio Perez (No. 11) – 15th and 15th
The Mexican driver did not expect the track to change so much during qualifying. Yet, he finished the third practice session in the same position as in qualifying: « During the session, we struggled to make the tires work the way we wanted. We went out early in Q2 to try to get a clean lap and prepare the tires. Obviously, we knew this would cost us some performance due to the track’s evolution. Even with these choices, we were not able to progress as much as we wanted. »
For the race, he believes that tires will play a crucial role in allowing him to climb back into the top 10: “We know it’s always difficult to overtake on a circuit like this, but with a good start and a good strategy, we can gain a few places. The track is tough on tires, and I think this will play a big role tomorrow. It will be a tough battle to score points, but on a track like this, anything is possible.”
