Otmar Szafnauer admitted it was pleasing to see the Sahara Force India F1 Team lock out the fourth row of the grid for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Nico Hülkenberg will start the race at the Yas Marina Circuit from seventh on the grid and team-mate Sergio Perez eighth, with the Chief Operating Officer of the Silverstone-based team praising both drivers for their efforts on Saturday, especially the former as he lost a lot of time on Saturday morning with a car issue.
Szafnauer is looking for the team to conclude their most successful season in their history with another strong result, one that will help them clinch fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of Williams Martini Racing.
“To end the final qualifying session of the year with both cars inside the top eight is an excellent effort by the entire team,” said Szafnauer. “The car has been competitive in all the sessions, but it’s been a challenging day with Nico losing quite a lot of track time in final practice.
“Despite this, he was able to secure seventh place on the grid. Sergio was matching him lap for lap and ended the session just one hundredth shy to lock out the fourth row of the grid.
“Looking ahead to the race, we’re well placed to bring home a strong result to sign off what has been the most successful season in the team’s history.”
