Interlagos always works well for Nico Hülkenberg

At the end of this season, Sahara Force India has a level of competitiveness that allows its two drivers to shine and accumulate points. They are thus very close to securing 5th place in the Constructors’ Championship, essential for ensuring funding for next season.

Nico Hülkenberg could thus be pleased to return to a track that has worked well for him in the past: « I am very happy with the qualifying today. I have always loved driving here because I love the track, the country, and the atmosphere here. »

He is thus in an ideal position to continue this great trend since he will start from 5th place, thanks to Valtteri Bottas’s three-place penalty: « The car was behaving very well today and I am very happy with all my laps during each session. We made significant changes to the car last night and they went in the right direction. It really paid off this morning because I was very happy with the feel in the car. With Valtteri’s penalty, I will start 5th, with only the Mercedes and the Ferraris ahead of me. It’s therefore a superb performance by the team. »

The German therefore hopes to be able to maintain his position until the checkered flag: « At least, we want to keep our position in the race because there are fast cars behind us that are going to try to make things difficult for us. I am confident and expect an enjoyable race. »

On the other hand, Sergio Perez will have to fight to get into the points as he only managed the 13th fastest time in qualifying, which will turn into 11th place on the grid. He made a costly mistake: « I think we had a good chance to make it to Q3. I’m therefore disappointed with my result today. I made a mistake on my last Q2 lap when I braked too late in the first corner and locked my tires. That cost me my chance to be in the top 10. It’s a very small circuit. When you make a mistake, it’s hard to recover. »