Force India

Formula 1 Team reports for the 2010 F1 season includes race previews, reports and reviews

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Post by Ed » Sat Mar 13, 2010 7:28 am

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix Free Practice Report

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03):
FP1: 1st 1:56.583 (18 laps)
FP2: 12th 1:57.361 (29 laps)

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01):
FP1: 7th 1:57.194 (19 laps)
FP2: 14th 1:57.833 (29 laps)

12 March 2010 - The 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, one of the most eagerly anticipated seasons in recent memory, finally got underway today with two 90 minute sessions at a sun-drenched Sakhir circuit in the heart of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Adrian Sutil and Tonio Liuzzi put the Force India's new challenger, the VJM03, through its paces at the extended 6.299km track and initial findings were encouraging. The morning's programme focussed on shorter runs, prime tyre evaluation and establishing a baseline set-up in the hot conditions expected this weekend. Adrian Sutil put in a strong performance to secure the fastest time of the 90 minute precursor to Sunday's race, 0.183secs quicker than Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Tonio Liuzzi also demonstrated the pace of the VJM03 with the seventh quickest time.

In the afternoon the pair concentrated on longer runs and comparisons of the two tyre compounds available this weekend. Again the pace was promising, and at the close of the session Adrian held the 12th quickest time while Tonio was just behind in 14th.

Adrian Sutil (car 14)
It's time to race now after so long out of the car! This morning we were checking all the systems and set-up we learnt over testing but nobody really knew where we were going to be. It's our goal to get two cars through to Q3 for this weekend and I think we now have a very good baseline with the car and good downforce compared to last year. We can be a top ten runner with this car this year and myself and Tonio are working well together. If we can qualify in the top ten now it can lead to decent points, which is, at the end of the day, what we want to do consistently this season. I would say it's a promising start to get there, for sure.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15)
Overall it was a positive day and we got through all the programme. We learnt quite a lot about the car with these kind of hot conditions, which we weren't able to do in the cool of the winter testing. The car is reacting well to different fuel loads and to different tyres and overall we can be pretty happy with the results at the end of this first Friday. I think we are in a good way for tomorrow. For sure we could improve our single lap time, but the race pace looks good. A positive start to the weekend.

Dominic Harlow, chief race engineer
Our objectives today were to assess cooling, brakes and tyres for this event whilst working a little on set-up, downforce level and ratio selection and testing a couple of new items on the car in FP1. We're pleased with the results and I think that our tyre management in the hot conditions looks good. The circuit changes for this year's race are a definite positive for the event and should make for a good race on Sunday.

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Post by Ed » Sun Mar 14, 2010 3:01 am

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying and Final Free Practice Report

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03):
FP3: 11th 1:55.521 (13 laps)
Q1: 3rd 1:55.213 (7 laps)
Q2: 8th 1:54.996 (6 laps)
Q3: 10th 1:56.309 (3 laps)

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01):
FP3: 9th 1:55.432 (11 laps)
Q1: 10th 1:55.628 (7 laps)
Q2: 12th 1:55.653 (6 laps)

13 March 2010 - The Force India F1 Team will start tomorrow's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix with both cars in the top 12. Tonio Liuzzi will start from 12th position, his best starting slot since the Italian GP 2009, while Adrian Sutil will line up in tenth after entering into Q3. With a view to the race strategy tomorrow, in which drivers starting in the top ten must start the race on the tyres on which they qualified, Adrian made his final run of the last session on the harder tyre compound, the only driver in Q3 to do so.

Adrian Sutil (car 14)
I'm very happy. I think it was a great achievement to go into Q3 at the first race: our best start to the season for a long time. The team should be very proud of it, I am very proud of this, so let's see how it goes tomorrow. Our goal is now to finish in the points. At the moment I'm in tenth and hopefully we can make one or two positions up as I'm the only car on the hard tyre so it may be an advantage. I'm surprised that the others were on the soft tyres so our decision could pay off tomorrow. We are strong under heavy fuel loads but we were very fast in Q1 and Q2 when everyone was on soft tyres so there are a few more positions we could gain. We worked very hard over the winter and over the last four years and it's nice to see it giving dividends now.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15)
I am a bit disappointed as we didn't know what had happened to the car since free practice. In the morning it seemed to have a pretty good balance and we didn't change very much but then we went into qualifying and we had a problem with the traction. That was the main reason we couldn't go through to Q3. Now we have to work on this and understand what happened but we believe in the race that we should be really strong as yesterday we were quick on the longer runs.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal
I think the whole team can be very proud of this result; it's a great start to the season and a mark of how much progress we have made over the winter. Last season we didn't get through to Q2 in this race and this year we've got both cars in the top 12. Of course that's not a precursor to getting points, which is what really matters, but it does give us a much better chance. Particularly positive is that Adrian is starting the race on the harder tyre, unlike the rest of the top ten, so should be well-placed to capitalise as the softer tyre degrades in the warm conditions. I can't wait for tomorrow's race now!

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Post by Ed » Sun Mar 14, 2010 3:03 am

2010 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING

Bahrain International Circuit, Saturday March 13

LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-25A-02

P3 programme
1m55.860s (+1.761s) 8 laps (12th)

Qualifying
Q1 1m55.341s (on Primes, 6th)
Q2 1m54.707s (on Options, 6th)
Q3 1m55.217s (on Options, 4th overall)

“I’m surprised by this afternoon’s result: while we didn’t have the pace of the faster cars, I definitely wasn’t expecting to be fourth quickest.”

“But it’s a good starting point and tomorrow I hope to keep the position or gain at least one more. I don’t think a win is going to be on the cards – but we’ll be giving it the best we can.

We’ve struggled in the middle sector – we’re lacking a bit of downforce – but I know the guys back in the factory will be pushing as hard as they can. And this is a much, much better position to start the season in than the one we found ourselves in last year.

“Managing the tyres tomorrow is going to be very tricky. I don’t think people perhaps understand how tough it is to look after them in these conditions – it’s unbelievable how quickly they drop off. We’ll take the race one step at a time.”

JENSON BUTTON
MP4-25A-03

P3 programme
1m55.000s (+0.901s) 14 laps (7th)

Qualifying
Q1 1m55.715s (on Primes, 11th)
Q2 1m55.168s (on Options, 10th)
Q3 1m55.672s (on Options, 8th overall)

“I really struggled with front locking this afternoon – but we cured that problem throughout the sessions. I was getting happier with the car throughout each stint, but in Q3 something didn’t feel quite right. The engineers are looking at the data to see what it was.

It’s been a surprise to us to see the pace of the quickest cars. Today, we saw which cars are fast over one lap; tomorrow maybe we’ll see a slightly different picture because these cars work very differently on higher fuel-loads. Besides, your strategy isn’t decided on the Saturday any more – we’ll need to see what the others are doing in the race.

“There’ll be a lot of heavy cars going into Turn One tomorrow, but hopefully I’ll pick a nice line and get through cleanly. I’m looking forward to the challenge and it’s going to be a very different one to what everybody has been used to. It’ll be a long race tomorrow.”

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

“We had a few issues with grip and ride in qualifying today – especially in the middle sector of the lap over the bumps. That being the case, both our drivers did a fantastic job – and as a result Lewis will start tomorrow’s race from the second row and Jenson from the fourth row. It’ll be a hot and tiring Sunday afternoon for all 24 drivers, but Jenson’s and Lewis’s fitness and determination will benefit them throughout the 49 laps.”

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Post by Ed » Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:16 pm

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix Report

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03):
12th (49 laps)

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01):
9th (49 laps)

14 March 2010 - The Force India F1 Team has opened its points account at the first race of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, the Bahrain Grand Prix. Tonio Liuzzi drove a faultless race, matching the pace of the Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes cars, to secure ninth position. With the implementation of a new points system this year, Tonio has chalked up two points - marking his first points since the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix and Force India's first points since the 2009 Italian Grand Prix.

Adrian Sutil was unfortunate to finish out of the points in 12th position. The German spun on the first lap when a cloud of smoke from the back of Mark Webber's car completely blocked his vision and he made light contact with Robert Kubica. The incident was enough for him to spin to the rear of the field, but he pushed hard to make up several places and was closing on the top ten in the latter stages. He did have some consolation of posting the second quickest lap of the race.

Adrian Sutil (car 14)
At least we finished. After the incident in the first corner it was the maximum we could do. We had a good race in the end, learning a lot about the tyres and how the car behaves at the end of a race, but the incident pretty much destroyed my hopes of getting any points. I don't really know what happened in that corner - I was driving and then there was a big cloud of smoke so I was blind going into it. I touched someone and spun and that was it. It's a shame but we will keep pushing for the next race.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15)
I'm really pleased. We achieved our target and scored some points, which is a great result for myself and for the team. It was a difficult race as with this amount of fuel and the tyres, plus the heat, we had a bit to control but overall I think we can be pretty happy about how we handled it and to be in the points is magic. All the top teams finished ahead of us and there were no failures or reliability issues so it was the maximum we could have achieved. I'm now looking forward to Australia where we will get some more updates and it could put us in an even better position for the next race. Overall a great result for the team.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal
What a great start to the season! I am absolutely delighted that we have scored in the first race of the season. It was always our aim to score points and we knew we had the pace to do it, but nevertheless to finally get there gives a great feeling. Tonio drove a superb race, matching the pace of the top teams in front, and it is certainly encouraging for the coming races. Adrian was unlucky and I know he will be disappointed not to have been able to capitalise on his starting position, but the season is long and he is hungry so I do not think he will have to wait long for his turn.

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Post by Ed » Thu Mar 25, 2010 5:03 am

Australian Grand Prix Preview
26 - 28 March 2010

23 March 2010 - Following an encouraging showing at the 2010 curtain raiser, the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Force India F1 Team now heads to Australia in a buoyant mood for the second round of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Tonio Liuzzi, contesting his first full race season since 2007, secured two points in Bahrain while Adrian Sutil qualified in the top ten and raced to 12th position at the flag fall, setting the second quickest lap of the race in the process.

The team has reason to be optimistic for the next race as new aero developments will be introduced, while test and reserve Paul di Resta will make his free practice debut on Friday. The young Scot will replace Adrian Sutil in FP1 as he seeks to gain further track time and experience behind the wheel of the VJM03.

Team Q&A
Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal
In Bahrain Tonio finished ninth and 'best of the rest' behind the eight cars from the four pacesetting teams. Were you satisfied with that?
It's what our objective was over the winter. We set ourselves an internal objective of finishing fifth in the World Championship. I know there's a long way to go, but it's a right start. We've got a solid car to start with, and we've got a good base, and now it's about the development rate for the rest of the year. It was fantastic for Tonio to have scored points for the first time since 2007. Adrian's second fastest lap means there's also some good for him to take out of the race too. I think we all acknowledge that last year our progress was sporadic - on some tracks we were very quick, on others not so good - so to come out this strongly is a really good step forward. With the new upgrades we have in the pipeline for Australia I can say with every faith that we can carry the momentum forward.

Paul di Resta will be driving one of the cars on Friday in Australia. What is the thinking behind that?
Paul is a very good driver and has a lot of potential. But as a third driver the question is how he can use this potential if there's no testing in-season. This is a good solution all round, he can learn the car and the tracks in real time and therefore spend his simulator time helping to develop the car, which will be of real benefit to us. The race drivers are very supportive of the move - they've all been young drivers one time!

How has the reaction been in India to the team's success?
Formula One is growing by leaps and bounds in India. Firstly they have an Indian team and now, in the form of Karun Chandhok, they have an Indian driver. The fans now have genuine interest to hold on to. Sure, people were aware of the big legends of the sport - Ferrari, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton - but for them to have tangible, identifiable properties is the difference between a minority sport and national interest. With the Indian Grand Prix now looking very promising it's really building - you've got these heroes and now you can go and watch them too. You can see the interest growing day by day, on our social networking site we've got more than one million followers.


Driver Q&A
Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03)
How would you review Bahrain?
I think it was a very good start to the season. We were very competitive in free practice, I was quickest in FP1, and then again in qualifying where both Tonio and myself were in the top 12. Last year we didn't get through to Q2 in Bahrain so to come out and be in the top 12 is really positive. Everything went well until the start of the race for me and then I dropped back down the field but from the team perspective at least one car got into the points. But now we want to go even higher in Australia. I think there is still potential to improve everything and get close to the top five or six.

From your perspective how was the racing in Bahrain?
Well, after the start I dropped down to 21st position and I came 12th at the end of the race so it shows that you can overtake and have a good race. OK, some of the cars I passed were the new teams and we had a performance advantage over them, but in the midpoint of the race I was fighting with Kubica [Renault] and the two Saubers so you can pass with the new regulations, it was just higher up the field that people were very cautious. But then at the first race of the year you never know really how everything will behave in race trim. You do long run simulations in testing, but until you have the field around you it's can never be 100% representative. Under these circumstances it's natural to take care as you don't want to be a DNF in the first race. But last year's Bahrain Grand Prix was also not that interesting, with only refuelling and pit stops so never really overtaking possibilities. I think every driver was a bit cautious as it was the first race and we had to go a long distance on the soft tyre and nobody really knew the best way to call it. Now we will go to Australia and tweak it a bit more to the limit and start to be a more aggressive. I think there will be some more overtaking.

Looking to Australia now, what are your thoughts on the Albert Park circuit?
It's one of my favourites. It's quite a nice street circuit with a few run off areas through a park so it's very beautiful. But it's also very challenging with a lot of quick corners and a few slow speed corners so altogether it's a great circuit to race on. I also have a lot of history there - I made my race debut for Spyker at the track in 2007, it was where Force India made their race debut the next year and then last year I was ninth. If we can get that position again this year that's two points! We've got to aim for this or higher - I'm pretty happy with where we were in qualifying and how we performed in the Bahrain race so we've got a lot of reasons to look forward to Australia now.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01)
Tonio, Bahrain was a great result for you and the team. How was it from your perspective?
Overall the whole weekend was positive. We learned a lot about the tyres and how they perform in the warm temperatures and also how far we can push the fuel in the race. I was a bit disappointed with qualifying in that we never got a clear lap, but the race was encouraging and was a great result for the team and myself. The team has worked so hard over the winter to find improvements and never gave up pushing so to get two points in the first race is fantastic. They are a team that is focussed, knows what they are doing and how to get there so they really deserve it to have good results on a regular basis. This is just the start.

There's some new upgrades coming for Australia as well. Do you think this could push you further up the field?
We have some new developments on the front and rear wing. I'm pretty hopeful it will be a step forward as every upgrade we made last year was positive, so the correlation from the wind tunnel seems to be working well. Of course you never know what the others are bringing but I would hope this would move us a little closer to the teams in front. My target would be to get into Q3 this time out and then, of course, get into the points again.

Australia will be a twilight race again, with the start at 17:00hrs. From a driver's perspective is this an issue or a particular challenge?
It wasn't a real problem last year - there was just one corner where the sun was very low and it was maybe a bit harder to see but everywhere else it was OK. The real challenge is that it can be critical with the temperature as the sun goes goes down and when you are on the harder tyre you start to have warm-up problems. But I think Bridgestone have worked on this now and so I am not worried about this. We'll look through the findings from Bahrain and see what we can do.

Paul di Resta, test and reserve driver
How was Bahrain for you?
Bahrain was a genuinely interesting experience. I've been to F1 races before but always as an observer, I've never been so involved in a team. A lot of the time was spent attending meetings, speaking with the engineers and learning how the team functions over a race meeting. It's a professional team and I've learnt a lot about how to approach the car, deal with the systems and the procedures and also what the team needs from me in terms of feedback and support. They've made me very welcome and I'm looking forward to putting it all into practice when I get my chance in Australia.

It your first time out in free practice in the VJM03 this weekend. What are your thoughts ahead of this?
I am excited, for sure. Given the pace of the car in Bahrain it's a great opportunity for me at this stage. I've never been to Melbourne but I'll walk the track with the engineers on the Wednesday ahead of the race and work with them to be able to do some useful work during the session. At the end of the day I'm not going to come out and try and set fastest times - it's about feeding my information back into the race schedule, helping the team and learning as much as I can. If I set a good time, great, but we need to approach this as a team as well and work through our programme.

How have you been preparing for the task ahead?
I've been in the simulator, tried to learn the Albert Park layout and I've looked over all the information from Bahrain so I feel as prepared as I can be at this stage. As I say when we get to Australia I'll be walking the track, working with the engineers and then keeping my focus during the practice session. I feel ready and can't wait to get started; it's a great opportunity.

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Post by Ed » Fri Mar 26, 2010 6:32 pm

2010 Australian Grand Prix Free Practice Report

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03):
FP1: Did not participate
FP2: 7th 1:26.834 (22 laps)

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01):
FP1: 10th 1:28.192 (18 laps)
FP2: 8th 1:26.835 (17 laps)

Paul di Resta (car 14, VJM03/03)
FP1: 11th 1:28.537 (25 laps)
FP2: Did not participate

26 March 2010 - The Force India Formula One Team's preparations for this weekend's Australian Grand Prix got underway today with two 90 minute practice sessions. Paul di Resta made his F1 event debut in FP1 as he replaced Adrian Sutil for the first of his scheduled appearances on a Grand Prix Friday. On the programme today for all three drivers was, as per usual Friday schedule, baseline running, tyre evaluation and longer runs. The notoriously fickle Melbourne weather threw in occasional rain showers however the team gathered the information required for tomorrow's running.

Adrian Sutil (car 14)
The rain in the second session was not ideal, particularly as I had sat out the first session, but we did what we could and I think overall the findings were very positive. At the start of the session we did some running with the harder tyre compound and then with the softer. We also tried out the intermediate tyre when the circuit was wetter. Everything seems to be working OK and we could get all the information we wanted today. I still have a good feeling about this weekend and I would like to better the result we had in Bahrain.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15)
Today was OK and the car was responding pretty well to the changes we made over the sessions. I was quite happy with the balance. The conditions were not ideal as in the first session there were the two red flags in quite quick succession and then the weather didn't help in the second practice. Unfortunately then there was always traffic as there were people slowing down and backing off to try and get some space so I didn't get a free lap. It was like people were on a Sunday drive in some places. Overall though a good day to start the weekend on and I think we are looking good for tomorrow.

Paul di Resta
I was pretty nervous going into the session, after all Albert Park is one of the most difficult tracks on the calendar. It's half street, half track so I had to build the programme from the bottom to the top. I had to feel comfortable in the car, particularly as I've not had the chance to drive it in the dry after the wet testing we had over the winter. It was something new and once the track rubbered in I was able to push myself beyond my comfortable limits. In Melbourne there's not much margin for error and therefore I had to be careful in some sectors as the walls get pretty close here. But the main job is to get the mileage and learn the track but most importantly to try and build a base for the drivers in the race with the optimum set-up. It's a good starting block for both me and I hope the team this weekend.

Dominic Harlow, chief race engineer
We had to think on our feet a bit today with both sessions being interrupted. Red flags in FP1 and the rain showers in FP2 both punctuated the running, and there is a lot of traffic to contend with . All three drivers were happy with the balance of the car, and we completed our usual Friday homework. As usual the circuit is quite slippery at the start of the weekend, but we'd expect as it rubbers in the grip to come up. We're confident that we can make some further improvements to the car overnight, and look forward to a competitive weekend.

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Post by Ed » Sun Mar 28, 2010 7:45 am

2010 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying and Final Free Practice Report

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03):
FP3: 8th 1:25.525 (18 laps)
Q1: 8th 1:25.504 (12 laps)
Q2: 8th 1:25.046 (8 laps)
Q3: 10th 1:26.036 (4 laps)

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01):
FP3: 10th 1:25.782 (19 laps)
Q1: 16th 1:26.170 (11 laps)
Q2: 13th 1:25.743 (8 laps)

27 March 2010 - The Force India F1 Team will start tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix, the second race of this year's championship, from tenth with Adrian Sutil and 13th with Tonio Liuzzi. The top 10 start is the team's second consecutive Q3 entrance and the sixth career top 10 start for Adrian Sutil. Tonio Liuzzi was unfortunately unable to progress into Q3 on this occasion after his potentially quickest runs were interrupted by traffic.

Adrian Sutil (car 14)
It's not disappointing to start tenth but it's not entirely satisfying either as I felt we could have done better. All the same we made it through to Q3, which was another great effort from the team, and we got the maximum we could have in the earlier sessions. I made two runs in Q3 and neither were particularly great as the soft tyres didn't seem to get up to temperature. We've had a good pace through the weekend so we have a strong platform to go from but let's see what will happen on Sunday. At this stage I don't want to make any predictions.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15)
Really disappointing today. There was so much traffic - it was just impossible. Pretty much every lap I had some problem, particularly with the Williams of Hulkenberg and the Sauber of de la Rosa who don't seem to be able to use their rear view mirrors. In all the sessions, on all of my runs, I struggled to finish a proper lap. I had green on the first two sectors but then got held up in the last sector, sometimes in the last corner. It's a shame as I definitely think the pace was there to make it through to the top ten. I think we need to find a solution to this as there are so many cars and too many different speeds. If it's like this here, I don't know what it will be like in Monte Carlo, which is even tighter.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal
I think it shows a lot that our drivers are disappointed with these positions. Last year we would have been delighted, but this year we expect more. Tonio got caught in traffic on every lap and without this I think we could have been in Q3 with two cars. Adrian was not entirely satisfied with tenth but nevertheless we can look to build on this tomorrow. Overall though a great effort from the team and the drivers to maintain the form we showed in Bahrain.

Ed
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Post by Ed » Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:11 am

2010 Australian Grand Prix Report

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03):
DNF (Mechanical - Lap 9)

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01):
7th (58 laps)

28 March 2010 - The Force India F1 Team has secured its second consecutive points' finish of 2010 in today's Australian Grand Prix. Tonio Liuzzi drove the VJM03 home to seventh position overall, bringing his and the team's season tally to eight points.

After a rain shower arrived just minutes before the start of the race, Tonio switched to the intermediate tyre on the grid. As the rain eased and a dry line emerged the Italian made a stop for the option dry tyres on lap nine. He remained on this set until the end of the race, overtaking the Sauber of Pedro de la Rosa for tenth on lap 20 and then keeping Rubens Barrichello, who was on a newer set of rubber, at bay. When Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber clashed in the closing stages Tonio was promoted to seventh to secure his second points finish of the year.

Adrian Sutil unfortunately did not finish the race as he reported a loss of power from his engine on lap seven. He returned to the pits for the team to attempt repairs however when a quick fix could not be made he retired on lap nine.

Adrian Sutil (car 14)
We seemed to have a problem with the engine very early on in the race. I was driving on just four cylinders and then lost the power and that was it really. It was a shame as we were looking good after the start. The team looked to try and get me out again after I came into the garage as we were in such a good position and I was the quickest car on the circuit at one stage. We missed out on a big chance here today but what can you do. It's good news for the team that Tonio got some more points and I'll be looking to bring my points on board at the next race.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15)
Another great race and another great result for the team. It's a confirmation of the pace we showed in Bahrain and the work the team did over the winter. We worked hard all weekend for this seventh place and it's a brilliant result at the end of what was a crazy race. At the beginning of the race on the intermediate tyres we were struggling a little and lost a few positions but after I pitted for the dry tyres I was able to recover and stay on the race pace. Towards the end of the race the rear tyres were going off a lot as I had been on them for a long time, but it was just enough to hold onto the position. I think it was another perfect weekend and now we can look forward to Malaysia.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal
What a race we had here today! Thrilling to watch and a delight to see a Force India car in the top ten. Tonio drove a brilliant race, looking after his tyres for almost 50 laps, to secure his second points of the season. It was richly deserved for him. Moreover, the result confirms that our pace is there and we are now genuinely in the hunt for points. It is a shame for Adrian as this could have been his race, but we'll look at what went wrong so he can go for his first points of the season in Malaysia.

Ed
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Post by Ed » Sun Apr 04, 2010 5:59 am

Malaysian Grand Prix Preview
2 - 4 April 2010

31 March 2010 - The Malaysian Grand Prix, the third round of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, takes place just one week after the thrilling Australian Grand Prix. The Force India F1 Team is looking forward to this race after another positive weekend of racing action: for the second consecutive event the team made the grade for Q3 and converted the form to points in the race when Tonio Liuzzi picked up seventh position. Adrian Sutil was unfortunate not to finish when he retired with an electrical problem early on, but will be looking to open his points account in Malaysia. Test and reserve driver Paul di Resta will also be back in action in FP1 on Friday, this time replacing Tonio Liuzzi for the 90 minute session.

Team Q&A
Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal
How would you review the Australian Grand Prix?
I've always maintained that the car was competitive, particularly in race pace, and now we expect our cars to be finishing in the top 10 and in the points. Tonio drove exceptionally well and scored points but it was very disappointing about Adrian. Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of it and make sure it doesn't happen in the future. I'm pleased with what we got, although you always think it could have been better. So I'm looking forward to the next race where I'd dearly like to see both cars coming home in the points.

On this current form, what are you now expecting in Malaysia?
I think we have every reason to be confident. The cars are clearly capable of being in the top 10. I just hope we don't have any bad luck in terms of extraordinary events or incidents. If both cars get a good, clean race I think both should be in the points. We're on target.

Driver Q&A
Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03)
Unfortunately Australia produced a DNF for you, but the event until that point had been positive. What are your thoughts on the weekend now?
It was obviously disappointing to retire so early on in the race [lap nine]. I started to lose power and under the circumstances retiring the car was really the only thing we could do. It was a bit frustrating as I think it could have been a good race; we were in a good position, I was keeping pace with the leaders and normally in these changeable conditions the car and the team perform well. Until that point the weekend had been quite good. Yet again we got into Q3 and I felt I could even have qualified higher, so that's very positive. It's showing that we're pretty competitive across different tracks and not that far behind the big four so at this point it's very encouraging.

What are your thoughts looking ahead to Malaysia?
Malaysia is always a good event, very tough physically, but there's a variety of corners and also some overtaking spots so it's an event I look forward to. The weather, as we saw last year, always throws up some interesting challenges. This year we don't have to pray for rain as we have done in the past, we can deal with the conditions whatever they are. I really want to get some points on board in this race, I've had two races where I should have scored, so I want to finish the job now.

How have you been preparing for the physical challenges of the Malaysian Grand Prix?
Malaysia is such a tough event with the heat and the humidity. You can lose up to four kilos over the race so fitness and concentration is absolutely key. The night after the Australian Grand Prix I flew straight to Malaysia to acclimatise and I've also spent three days in Langkawi training, doing a lot of running, swimming, sea kayaking and so on, really just getting used to exercise in these type of conditions. I feel really good, very relaxed, and confident in the team and the car now so I can't wait to get back out there.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01)
Points for the second race in a row in Australia! How was the race for you?
The car was getting better and better the more the track was drying up. We suffered a lot of understeer at the beginning, but the front wing adjuster was working well, and we were able to tune it a little bit more and get closer to optimum set-up during the race. The final 15 laps were quite hard because Barrichello did a two-stop strategy, and was closing the gap really fast, but I was trying to manage the rear tyres and trying to control the car behind me, and it worked out. I'm obviously really happy as it confirms what I said from the beginning of the year, that I am back and I am ready for big results as long as the car stays together and gives me the possibility. I had a really strong race when I came back in Monza last year, and we are scoring points now. I just want to give back as much as I can to the team because they believed in me.

Where is the pace of the team now relative to the rest of the field?
Unfortunately to match Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren's speed is difficult for us, but the team is working really hard. For us the main competitor at the beginning seemed to be Renault, but now they've made a big step forward. I think it will be our main target to try to catch them in Malaysia to beat them in the championship. For sure it won't be easy because they are a great team and they will develop. But we are working hard back at Silverstone, and working well.

Any thoughts on Malaysia?
I think it will be a very interesting race for us, although it will be really hot and really difficult! But the track should suit more the characteristics of our car, so I think we'll be in an interesting position. I've got to work on my qualifying performance and try and get into Q3 for the first time and then, of course, keep those points coming.

Paul di Resta, test and reserve driver
Australia was your first free practice session for the team, was it a positive experience?
For sure, it's a very unique experience to get this sort of opportunity as a test and reserve driver in F1. It was a very productive session, my first time in the dry in this car and also a new track, and there was a lot of positive and valuable running. I was nervous of course - Albert Park is a pretty fearsome circuit with the walls and bumps - but I was also looking forward to getting out there and learning the car again and helping the team. With each lap my confidence in the car grew and now, after looking through the data and speaking with the engineers, I feel I can give a bit more in Malaysia so the team can learn even more.

And you're in the car in Malaysia again, are you looking forward to getting back out?
I can't wait. The team has been very welcoming to me and has encouraged me to ask as many questions as I can and learn so they can themselves meet their own targets. The goals they have set for themselves are quite high but they are realistic and at the moment everything seems to be on schedule. It's great for me to be part of that and I'll be looking to give them what they need when I get in the car in FP1 in Sepang. This time I'll be replacing Tonio so I'll be working with him to understand what information he and the team needs. As per last time that's more important at this stage than going for the times.

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Post by Ed » Sun Apr 04, 2010 6:00 am

2010 Malaysian Grand Prix Free Practice Report

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03):
FP1: 7th 1:35.955 (20 laps)
FP2: 10th 1:35.957 (32 laps)

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01):
FP1: Did not participate
FP2: 12th 1:36.221 (34 laps)

Paul di Resta (car 15, VJM03/01)
FP1: 15th 1:36.891 (25 laps)
FP2: Did not participate

2 April 2010 - Hot and humid Sepang was the venue for the opening day of practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend. Teams and drivers sizzled in the searing heat during the two 90 minute sessions, the curtain raiser to the third event of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta were back in action for Force India in FP1, with regular race driver Tonio Liuzzi returning for FP2 as test and reserve driver Paul got more time in the VJM03 as part of his scheduled programme.

The trio ploughed through the standard Friday workload of tyre and set-up evaluation and - in Paul's case - circuit familiarisation. Adrian was a promising seventh quickest while Paul was 15th in FP1. Tonio returned for the second session, setting the 12th quickest time while Adrian posted the 10th best lap.

Adrian Sutil (car 14)
Today was very much following our normal Friday programme. I had to be a little bit patient as the track was dusty at the beginning of the morning so it was just driving and learning the circuit again. In the afternoon we then went to do a little set-up work. It was difficult with the hot track temperatures we experience here as the tyres overheated very quickly and it was challenging to get it under control. We have a few things to look at set-up wise but we should be fine for tomorrow. We are in the top 10 still, just behind the top four teams. I think it will be an interesting day, probably with some rain thrown in as well!

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15)
Today was a good opening day of practice for the team. I missed the morning session but we did the most important job of understanding the tyres and following our programme targets. We are quite happy, and although the car suffered a little understeer in the high speed corners, it is responding well and we understand the behaviour of the tyres over the longer runs. It looks like qualifying here will be interesting as the rain started at 4pm but we can deal with the conditions I am sure.

Paul di Resta
I'm feeling a lot more comfortable and I think that was why I was able to get up to speed relatively quickly. It ran more smoothly today and even though I didn't have any prior experience of the circuit I got into a relatively comfortable zone quite soon. The programme was exactly the same as if Tonio had been in the car, running through baselines and then understanding the tyres. Here the tyres don't last very long with the heat and we missed the peak with them and didn't quite set the optimum time, but I think ultimately you can't pay too much attention to that as it's not always going to be relative to what we are doing and where we are. It's just getting myself in the environment, getting the track time and learning the circuits.

Dominic Harlow, chief race engineer
We didn't encounter any major problems today as we established the relative performance and degradation characteristics of the two tyres available for this race. The high track and air temperatures are, as usual here, dominating the behaviour of the car. Today's sessions have been at the normal times of day, but as we head into the weekend they become later again, and that will be a factor in the decisions we make overnight. We've more work to do, but are looking forward to the challenges of the weekend ahead.

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Post by Ed » Sun Apr 04, 2010 6:00 am

2010 Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying and Final Free Practice Report

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03):
FP3: 11th 1:34.623 (11 laps)
Q1: 8th 1:49.479 (6 laps)
Q2: 3rd 1:47.085 (8 laps)
Q3: 4th 1:50.914 (7 laps)

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01):
FP3: 14th 1:34.957 (16 laps)
Q1: 10th 1:49.922 (6 laps)
Q2: 8th 1:48.238 (9 laps)
Q3: 10th 1:52.254 (6 laps)

3 April 2010 - The Force India F1 Team's Adrian Sutil will start tomorrow's Malaysian Grand Prix from fourth on the grid following a faultless drive and a well-played strategy in qualifying at the Sepang International Circuit. Tonio Liuzzi completed the team's strongest qualifying performance this season by passing through to Q3 for the first time this year. The Italian will start tenth.

The team and drivers interpreted the ever-changing weather conditions perfectly, with both drivers going out for early runs in Q1 on the intermediate tyres, so when the rain worsened both were easily through to Q2, with Adrian P8 and Tonio P10. As the rain increased a mid-break switch to extreme wets beckoned but when the track dried out both returned for intermediates: again, a canny decision that allowed Adrian to set the third quickest time and Tonio the eighth.

Heavier rain fell in Q3, causing a red flag with seven minutes remaining. On the restart, Adrian and Tonio were the first cars out on extreme wets and were for a time the quickest cars out on track. As the conditions bettered the pair were just edged down the order with Adrian claiming fourth position and Tonio tenth, the team's best combined starting position since the 2009 Italian Grand Prix.

Adrian Sutil (car 14)
It was a great qualifying again for us. As I expected it rained at 4pm, I said that yesterday I think! It was challenging and the conditions changed a lot over the sessions. Sometimes it was a lot of rain, sometimes half wet, half dry so it was very important to choose the right tyres. I think we did a great job in those conditions and every session we did the optimum. I am so happy to be in this position now. It's a great achievement and my team really deserved it. They did a fantastic job: being there on the right time on the right tyre was very important. My time in the end was good for P4: a great job all round.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15)
We can be happy about getting through to Q3 as this was our target for this weekend. It was a good qualifying, Q3 started very wet, very similar to Brazil last year, and then it dried up very quickly at the end. I had a problem on the last lap with a locking front brake and lost the last run but that's how it is in these conditions: you have to get the right spot at the right time. Tomorrow will be a tough race from where we are. We have a lot of quick cars around us but as we've seen today we are strong in all conditions. I'm looking forward to it.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal
Today was a really brilliant team performance, not just from the drivers but from the pit wall and the garage. The interpretation of the data and weather forecast, the implementation in the garage and the calls from the drivers all came together beautifully to give our best qualifying performance this season. It sets us up well for the race, but as we know tomorrow's result is all that counts. We've got to keep this spirit up, keep our heads down and go for the maximum we can. I don't want to tempt fate with predictions, but I would hope we could convert this into a serious points haul.

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Post by Ed » Mon Apr 05, 2010 2:15 am

2010 Malaysian Grand Prix Report

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03): 5th

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01): DNF (Mechanical - lap 12)

4 April 2010 - The Force India F1 Team's points haul continued in the Malaysian Grand Prix today as Adrian Sutil raced strongly to fifth place and ten points. Adrian drove a faultless race, keeping the 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton at bay in the closing stages of the race to secure his best finish since the 2009 Italian Grand Prix and bringing the team's total points this year to 18.

Unfortunately Tonio Liuzzi retired on lap 12 with a suspected throttle problem. The Italian had made a good start and was enjoying a battle with Nico Hulkenberg but started to lose power on lap 10. He pitted however was obliged to retire when a fix could not be made.

The team will now return to the UK to prepare for the Chinese Grand Prix in two weeks' time.

Adrian Sutil (car 14)
The race was exciting and fifth place in the end was a great achievement. I was hoping for a good race as we were so close in the first two races but then had a little bit of back luck that stopped us scoring. It was a good overall performance from the team. It was always very close with Lewis [Hamilton] just behind in the closing stages but I knew that if I didn't make any mistakes I wouldn't have any problems, so it was just trying to concentrate. I had to push, of course, but it was under control. I think we can now carry this forward to China: we are still a good top 10 competitor and we need to continue like this - Q3 and a few points each race would be great at this stage in the season.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15)
I had had a good start from tenth and was in seventh place and had a good pace, although I was stuck behind Hulkenberg in the Williams. I was struggling to pass even though I was quicker but we were optimistic for a good race. Unfortunately I had a problem with the throttle after about 12 laps. We didn't understand exactly what it was but overall we lost drive and that was the end of it. It's disappointing for me but I'm pleased that Adrian could score a lot of points as that helps us in the constructors' championship.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal
Three races and three times in the points, I am absolutely delighted. Adrian had a strong race, keeping a cool head under pressure when a charging Lewis Hamilton was right on his tail. Once again we've proved the pace of our car and our ability to really mix it in the midfield. It was disappointing not to have two cars in the points, but it is overall very positive that we can race hard and score points entirely on merit.

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Post by Ed » Fri May 07, 2010 1:32 pm

Chinese Grand Prix Preview
16 - 18 April 2010

13 April 2010 - The Chinese Grand Prix will be the fourth round of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship and the final event in the quartet of flyaway races that opened the season. Held at the state of the art Shanghai International Circuit on the outskirts of China's largest city, the Force India Formula One Team will be heading to this event with high hopes of keeping its recent run of form going after scoring points in the first three races of the year. Adrian Sutil picked up his first points-finish of the year in Malaysia with a fighting fifth place, taking the team's season total so far to 18 points.

Team Q&A
Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal
Dr Mallya, the team is currently sixth in the constructors' championship and has 18 points from three races. You must be pleased with this progress so far?
At the start of the season I said we wanted to be regular points finishers and here we are, three races in, with three points' finishes. It's very pleasing when you see just how far we've come in one year: after three races in 2009 we had nul points and were tenth. The difference, I believe, has been keeping the focus on what we want to do. We've kept our heads down, got on with the job and to a certain extent kept out of what the other teams are doing - we've focussed on our own game. It's a real credit to Mark Smith and his team that we've got the points we have. The team at Brackley and Silverstone are tight-knit, efficient and the results are now coming through.

You've made a lot about wanting fifth in the championship. Three races in, do you still think this is possible?
The grid is very tight as we saw in Malaysia and Australia and there's no clear delineation between the front and the midfield. The most important at this stage is that we are still up there fighting. Renault look very strong right now but there's still a lot more races to go this year and we have a clear direction about where we are going that will keep us with them, or hopefully leapfrog them. The drivers are confident and the team is working well so I think fifth is still realistic.

Driver Q&A
Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03)
Adrian, you scored your first points of the season in Malaysia. What were your feelings after this race?
It felt really good to finally get them. It was an exciting race as well in the end, racing against Lewis. Fighting against each other is always a pleasure, as we did it a lot in F3 and sometimes in F1. We have a lot of respect for each other; I am happy for him when he wins and he is happy for me when I do well. I was happy, relieved, proud - all of the above really - when we got to the finish. I knew we had the car to do it so it was only a matter of time before we scored some points. I'm now full of motivation for the rest of the season.

What do you think about the next race in China?
The next race in China will be a bit different but there are some similarities to Malaysia as well. The circuit layout is different, of course, but you need a good top speed, which we have, and you need a little bit of downforce for the mid sector, for the slow corners so I think it should suit our car really well. I don't think we should be concerned about our performance at the moment, we are strong and we can fight in the top 10, and that's very encouraging at this point of the year.

What is possible in Shanghai?
I'm confident, definitely. It was encouraging in Malaysia, and also the last races in Bahrain and Australia. I think we can show a very similar performance in China. Temperatures will be a bit cooler, but there is a long straight and you need to be very fast on that, and that's what our car can do. It has also the downforce required for the slow speed corners. My feeling is that we can perform well again in Shanghai.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01)
What are your thoughts on the next race in China?
We are pushing to try to bring some more steps forward for the car. I have been in the simulator and we are pushing to bring updates to China as we want to be ready to score points again and not let our momentum slip. For sure it's one of the circuits that I like, and I've always had good results there. In fact my best result in F1 was at that circuit - in 2007 Sebastian Vettel and myself finished fourth and sixth for Toro Rosso. We go to China pretty positive about our potential. It was good to finally get into Q3 in Malaysia and from there we have to hope for a good race. In Malaysia we were quite comfortable in the car and I have to hope that the luck stays with me this time and we can get some more points.

Do you enjoy driving at the track?
It's pretty similar to Malaysia. There are a lot of high speed corners, and it's quite technical, especially Turns One and Six and Seven. It's got a flow as a circuit and there are some technical corners, and it's always a crazy race because there can be some different weather conditions. So overall I'm looking forward to it! More points are the aim and we can do it, for sure.

Paul di Resta, test and reserve driver
Paul, you've driven two practice sessions now. What are your key learnings from this?
It went relatively well in Malaysia. It was always going to be a difficult task as I hadn't had any running in the simulator beforehand so it completely new to me and very different conditions. With the high temperatures and the different behaviour of the tyres it was an uphill curve but I felt I moved forward, I improved and I got some good experience. I didn't find it physically tough but the heat and humidity was something else. In DTM you get very hot inside the car but this wasn't something I'd ever experienced. It's all part of that learning curve and I felt I acclimatised to it well.

You've also had the chance to sit in different cars, with you driving Adrian's in Australia and Tonio's in Malaysia. Is this a particular challenge for you?
Each crew has their ways of doing things as there are different engineers and mechanics but the cars are very similar. I am now getting a feel for how Tonio or Adrian want their base set-ups, but in terms of the programme it is entirely the same as the race drivers. At the moment I'm still conscious it isn't my car so I have to be careful to build up gradually, be controlled and constructive and get the data for weekend

Have you driven on the Shanghai International Circuit before?
No it will be new again to me and I won't have any simulator running beforehand so it will be starting from the bottom, learning the new track. At least I have now got some experience on this type of wide, Tilke track so it should just be a case of making steady progress again.

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Post by Ed » Fri May 07, 2010 1:32 pm

2010 Chinese Grand Prix Free Practice Report

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03):
FP1: 9th 1:38.008 (13 laps)
FP2: 7th 1:36.254 (31 laps)

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01):
FP1: Did not participate
FP2: 16th 1:37.804 (31 laps)

Paul di Resta (car 15, VJM03/01)
FP1: 15th 1:38.618 (26 laps):
FP2: Did not participate

16 April 2010 - Free practice for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix got underway today at an unseasonably chilly Shanghai International Circuit. The Force India F1 Team nevertheless pushed on with its programme and was able to complete its schedule of tyre evaluation and baseline set-up work.

Adrian Sutil was a promising ninth in the morning and as the afternoon saw a marginal improvement in grip levels, bettered his time to record the seventh best lap.

Paul di Resta, celebrating his 24th birthday today, was back in action in FP1. With this being Paul's first visit to Shanghai his focus was initially to learn the circuit and then establish a baseline set-up for the weekend. Tonio Liuzzi took back the VJM03 for second practice and closed the day with the 16th best lap after difficult runs on the softer tyre compound.

Adrian Sutil (car 14)
It was quite a good day, with no real problems. The track conditions were not very good out there to start with. It was very green and hard on the tyres, particularly the harder set we used in the morning. The grip improved over the day but even at the end it was still very low. The balance of the car was good though and I think we looked pretty strong on both types of compound so, with this in mind, I'm expecting a similar qualifying and race performance to Malaysia.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15)
It was difficult out there today. The prime tyre, which was my first run of the day, was good. The car was behaving well but then after we changed to the soft tyre we were sliding all over the place and struggling to get the temperatures in the tyres. It was a big frustration as the car was not there any more. It was strange as it was such a clear change from hard to soft. We need to look into this problem but I think we can be positive about the rest of the day as on the hard tyres we seem to be quite strong.

Paul di Resta
It was a very difficult session as the conditions were quite tough out there. The track was green with little rubber to start with and the low temperatures and the hard tyre compound made grip levels very, very low. I still managed to learn a few things about the car and of course the circuit. It's a tricky track with some blind corners and variety of speeds and it's hard to get into an easy rhythm straight away. Unfortunately I flat-spotted one of the front tyres, which compromised how much I could get out of the last two runs but we still got what we wanted out of the session and I have learnt another track so, all in all, it was productive day.

Dominic Harlow, chief race engineer
Sunny but still quite cold today. The early track grip has been low, and the tyres a little difficult to warm-up, that's all as expected really. We have a reasonable balance, but need to work hard to get the grip. With Paul driving Tonio's car in FP1, we ran our usual combination of tyre evaluation and set-up programmes between the three drivers, and apart from a couple of small issues in FP2 and the bigger bumps this year, it was a reasonably smooth day.

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Post by Ed » Fri May 07, 2010 1:33 pm

2010 Chinese Grand Prix Qualifying and Final Free Practice Report

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03):
FP3: 14th 1:37.240 (18 laps)
Q1: 12th 1:36.671 (10 laps)
Q2: 9th 1:35.665 (7 laps)
Q3: 10th 1:35.963 (6 laps)

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01):
FP3: 12th 1:37.031 (16 laps)
Q1: 18th 1:37.161 (9 laps)

17 April 2010 - The Force India F1 Team experienced a mixed qualifying session ahead of Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix. Adrian Sutil will start the race from 10th position, however there was disappointment for Tonio Liuzzi as he will start from 18th position after getting caught in traffic.

Adrian progressed through to the second segment of qualifying with the 12th quickest lap and then, on his very final lap of Q2, posted the ninth fastest time to enter Q3 for the fourth time this season. In Q3 Adrian used the softer tyre compound to post a time that was only just bettered by the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher in the dying seconds of the session.

Adrian Sutil (car 14)
Another Q3 qualifying performance for us, I think we can be very pleased with that. Again, it's P10 - I know this position very well from the last races in Australia and Bahrain! The car is behaving very well and we can be happy about the balance we have. It's a bit difficult in the mid sector though as the grip is missing a little bit so we have a touch of oversteer and it's hard to drive on the limit. However from the team's point of view we can look forward to the race tomorrow: I think our long runs were quite good on Friday.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15)
We were fast in the morning and the car was reacting well to changes and seemed to have a good pace. Again, though, for the third time in four races I got caught in traffic, again with a Williams and an HRT. But that's how it is, it happens, we have to look at why and then work on this. Tomorrow I think we are in great shape for the race as the speed has been there when we were on the longer runs but when you start in 18th place it makes life much more difficult. We are still optimistic though and we keep pushing whatever happens.

Dominic Harlow, chief race engineer
We're very pleased to have another top ten qualifying with Adrian here, with some very good laps. It was still tricky with quite low grip and ultimately we felt that another position or two could have been within reach in Q3. Tonio was very unfortunate with traffic today in Qualifying, so couldn't actually put together a representative lap. It does seem to be a lottery sometimes early in the session given the pace difference between some of the cars. With the possibility of another change in the weather conditions tomorrow, we're confident of a very exciting race and we'll be looking to add to our points total.

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