Formula 1

Force India Bounce Back After Difficult Qualifying In Belgium

2 Mins read

Force India recovered from what it called a 'difficult' qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix, with Adrian Sutil finishing seventh and Paul di Resta just missing out on points in 11th.

“After starting P15 we have to be very happy with our seventh place today,” said Sutil. “It was an exciting race with lots of action, but we had a good strategy and made the right calls at the right time.

“When the safety car came out I pitted straight away, which helped me because I made up a couple of places. I came out in sixth and after that I only lost one position to Schumacher, who was on the soft tyre and faster than me.

“Overall I think that this result is a fair reflection of the pace we have had this weekend and it's nice to have recovered from the problems we had yesterday to leave here with these important points.”

Di Resta started 17th after being knocked out in Q1 on Saturday, but recovered well.

“I got off the line very well and everything seemed to be going quite smoothly,” said the Scot. “But there was an incident ahead of me and I thought I had managed to get through the corner when I got hit hard by Timo [Glock]. That put a big whole in the floor, damaged my front wing and gave me a lot of understeer.

“Other than that the pace of the car was quite strong, but I was a bit unlucky with the safety car because the priority had to go to the leading car [Adrian] and I dropped behind the Williams. Without that I could have probably been ahead of Maldonado. It's good that Adrian was able to score some points and we've demonstrated the pace of the car once again.”

Chairman and Team principal Vijay Mallya added: “Considering the problems we had yesterday, I am very happy that we have managed to come away from Spa with six points to strengthen our position in the constructors' championship. It was a typical Spa race; very exciting and Adrian drove well to come through the pack and finish seventh. It was a great team performance and the strategy was spot on.

“I feel sorry that Paul was unable to join him in the points because he was unlucky today. The damage he picked up on the opening lap affected the balance of the car and then he lost out with the timing of the safety car. Even so, we leave here in high spirits and I'm confident we can continue this form in Monza in a couple of weeks' time.”

1882 posts

About author
Peter joined the TCF team in September 2010 and covers GP2 and GP3 along with WTCC and Formula Two. You can find him on twitter at @PeteAllen_
Articles
Related posts
British GTBTCCFeaturesFIA WECFIA World Rally ChampionshipFIA World RallycrossFormula 1Porsche Carrera Cup GBPorsche Mobil 1 Supercup

A Farewell Message from The Checkered Flag

4 Mins read
After 15 years of motorsport coverage, TheCheckeredFlag.co.uk announces its closure. What began as a passion project in 2009 grew into a respected voice in motorsport journalism. Thank you for being part of this journey.
Formula 1

2024 United States Grand Prix: Championship Rivals Start on Front Row

3 Mins read
Lando Norris secures pole positon in an action packed qualifying session in Austin.
Formula 1

2024 United States Grand Prix: Verstappen Secures Sprint Win

2 Mins read
Max Verstappen returns to winning ways with victory in the 2024 United States Grand Prix Sprint race.