Sergio Pérez admitted it was a disappointment to leave the Circuit Paul Ricard empty handed after a water pressure problem on board his VJM11 say him retire for the first time since last year’s Belgian Grand Prix.
The Sahara Force India F1 Team racer was on course for a points finish in the French Grand Prix only for the problem to surface in the new specification of Mercedes-Benz power unit, introduced for the first time after seven races using the first unit.
As a result, the Mexican was forced to join team-mate Esteban Ocon on the sidelines, leaving Force India to fall further behind fourth placed Renault Sport Formula One Team, who scored points with both Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr.
“It’s disappointing to finish the race like this,” said Pérez. “We had a sudden drop in water pressure and had to retire the car.
“It’s a shame because we had the opportunity to score a good amount of points and we leave empty-handed instead.”
Pérez said he tried everything he could to get a good result in France but luck was not on Force India’s side, but he has confidence that the team can continue to make progress in the forthcoming races, particularly as there is an upgrade planned to be brought to this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
“I made a good start and kept clear of the incidents,” said the Mexican. “I would have been eighth but Grosjean cut a few corners and got past me.
“We gave everything to try and get a result, but the luck wasn’t on our side this weekend. We have upgrades coming for Austria and I hope they can make us more competitive for the next few races.”
