Friday: Force India is afraid of nothing here!

Force India went through a rough patch in Singapore. After three high-placed Grand Prix, the Indian team failed to enter the top 10. In Japan, the team wants to make a comeback, and in the rain, the lap times and the car seem to be delivering.

The two drivers, like most of the field, love this particular Suzuka track. Sutil has a lot of experience here from driving in Japan when he was in Formula 3000. His performances reflect this, with the 1st and 3rd fastest times in today’s practice sessions. Enough to be optimistic for the whole team and make the sun come back quicker than expected. A team in the land of the rising sun?

Adrian Sutil – 3rd and 1st:

I have a lot of experience on this track since 2006 when I was in Japanese F3, and I really like this circuit. It’s a good track with many fast corners and amazing flow. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to drive much today. The session this afternoon was quite straightforward, though. In 10 minutes, I set the best time. However, this morning we did 14 laps, and they went well.

I was confident in our ability to get back into the top for Suzuka and for now, it seems to be coming true. We feel better than in Singapore. However, still no one really knows the hierarchy because we have to wait to run on a dry track. The weekend should be very interesting!

Tonio Liuzzi – 12th and 3rd:

« I had a rather positive day even though the weather wasn’t in our favor. The situation was difficult and the weather should change tomorrow. Overall, the car performs well in the rain and under these conditions, the same with intermediate tires. We are therefore optimistic but we know that everything can change tomorrow with the weather. »

Dominic Harlow – Chief Engineer

« Both sessions today were rainy, and we missed out on track time, particularly this afternoon. With the heavy rain, streams were forming, and with our settings aquaplaning can occur. We remained cautious, but both our setups seem to work for medium and heavy rain. So, we are quite happy, even though now the weather is expected to be dry for the rest of the weekend. We’ll have to work very late tonight to adjust the settings and the data obtained. »