Robert Fernley reflected on another positive day for the Sahara Force India F1 Team, with both Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez advancing to the top ten shoot-out for the Mexican Grand Prix.
Ocon will start an excellent sixth on the grid, ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Riccardo, while Perez, in front of his home fans at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, will start tenth.
Fernley, the Deputy Team Principal of the Silverstone-based outfit, was full of praise for everyone involved in providing the drivers with strong car, and the hope is now that they can secure their position in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship on Sunday with another double points finish.
“It’s been another very strong Saturday with both drivers qualifying in the top ten,” said Fernley. “We’ve worked extremely hard this week to dial the cars into this circuit and the engineers and mechanics deserve huge credit for giving the drivers a competitive car.
“The updates we brought here have certainly made a difference and taken us another step forward in terms of outright pace. Esteban’s confidence continues to grow and he should be very proud of his performance today – getting ahead of a Red Bull and just two tenths shy of a Ferrari.
“Sergio showed great pace as well in Q1 and Q2, but his Q3 laps didn’t come together and he had to settle for P10. He’s received huge support from the local fans so far this week and he’s determined to reward them tomorrow with a strong drive.”
