The chief operating officer at Sahara Force India F1 Team, Otmar Szafnauer feels it has been “an encouraging day” for the team in Baku after a strong showing in both Friday practice sessions.
Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon both finished in the top five in first practice round the Baku Street Circuit, and although both drivers slipped back in the afternoon session but it was still a strong day ahead of this weekends Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
“It’s been an encouraging day of practice allowing us to achieve most of our objectives,” said Szafnauer. “The first session was basically an aero testing session with both cars trying some development parts.
“All the data we collected will help us learn more about the car’s behaviour and where we can find more performance going forward.”
Force India have had a poor start compared to recent seasons but Szafnauer will be hoping that his team can improve and get into the top ten in qualifying tomorrow.
“The second session was routine with a mixture of qualifying and race preparations,” said Szafnauer. “It’s clear that the margins between the midfield teams are very small, but the early indications suggest both our cars have a good opportunity to qualify inside the top ten tomorrow.”
