Heading into the Canadian Grand Prix, the Sahara Force India F1 team are looking forward to the weekend after Sergio Perez finished in seventh place in Monaco two weeks ago; even though Nico Hülkenberg finished outside of the points in twelfth place after an incident with Fernando Alonso on the first lap of the race that affected his performance for the remainder of the race.
Hülkenberg is looking forward to the weekend ahead in Montreal and wants to put what happened in Monaco two weeks ago behind him; even though he felt points were achievable. This is one of Hülkenberg’s favourite tracks to race at during the course of the season and he also believes that the track will suit the VJM-08 and that the supersoft tyres that tyre manufacturer Pirelli are bringing this weekend will only help them get a good result this weekend.
“I am looking forward to getting back to racing in Canada after leaving Monaco empty-handed,” said Hülkenberg. “I feel we could have been in the points but obviously the incident on the first lap robbed us of a chance to maximise our result.
“The track in Montreal should be one that suits us. It’s a power circuit because of the long straights and you need good traction to get out of the low-speed corners. To be quick you need to attack the kerbs and be brave enough to get close to the walls. We will have soft and supersoft tyres again, which worked quite well for us in Monaco, so I think we can target points this weekend.
“It’s an unusual circuit, but I enjoy driving there and I really like the Canadian Grand Prix as an event. It’s one of my favourite races of the year. The city is cool, with a great buzz, and everybody gives us a warm welcome. There’s definitely a special feeling throughout the city during Grand Prix week.”
Meanwhile, his team mate Perez has a good track record in Montreal after achieving his first podium of his career here in 2012 with his former team Sauber. But he is feeling very confident at the moment, especially after his performance in Monaco where he feel he got the maximum out of the car all weekend. Just like Hülkenberg, Perez enjoys driving at the circuit and enjoys the challenges that the circuit gives as a driver and wants to get the best result possible this weekend and build on what he has achieved at the circuit during his career so far.
“I’m very positive at the moment. I feel I’m driving at my best and getting the most from every race. Monaco was pretty much a perfect weekend in terms of maximising our potential. I don’t think I could have come away with more from that race. So it was a very satisfying result for the whole team.
“Montreal is one of my favourite tracks. I still remember my podium there in 2012 – that was such a special result. Last year’s race was also one of my best, until the final lap! It was a race we had a real chance to win, but things just didn’t go our way in the end.
“Montreal is a race where anything can happen and it’s quite unpredictable. You need to be brave and keep fighting all the way. I hope this year we can be strong once again. It’s definitely a power track where the engine counts for a lot and the circuit always produces a good race.”
