- Language:
German GP
Unfortunately no points after a great race
Adrian was the tragic hero at the Nürburgring, but the German Grand Prix demonstrated the much-improved performance of the Force India Formula One Team with both Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella racing competitively with the sharp end of the field. Ultimately the results of 15th and 11th respectively betray the increased competitivity as Adrian was able to race within the top five for one third of the race distance while Giancarlo fought his way up six places from his starting position.
Adrian had started from seventh, his highest-ever grid slot, and had moved into second place, just 1.2secs behind the leader Rubens Barrichello by the time of his first pit stop on lap 27. Sadly he was unable to capitalise on this as he clashed with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen on the exit of the first corner, causing damage to his front wing endplate that forced a return to the pits for a nose change. Relegated to 17th Adrian nevertheless pushed hard to claw back to 15th overall.
"We shouldn’t be that disappointed with this result as we have had a good weekend and the next one will come very soon" Adrian quotes. "All our development shows we are on the right track and that we are much more competitive. It was a good race for me: the start was a bit difficult but I lost just one position. In the first stint I did really well and it was looking very promising as I was up to second by my first stop. When I went out of the pit lane I saw Kimi coming on the outside of the corner and I just tried to hold my line but he went to the outside and I touched him and lost part of my front wing. That’s really when I thought the race was over for the points as I had to come back in. I kept pushing hard though as you never know what will happen. Overall I think we’ve learnt a lot; it’s the first time starting in the top 10 and it’s a different race up there! It’s been a good push for everyone in the team to get some more development so we can finally get some points."
Dr. Vijay Mallya was satisfied with the team's performance:
"It’s been largely all good this weekend and again I am very proud of the team and both our drivers. From free practice onwards we have shown a big step forward and our performance has been very competitive. It’s just a shame that after such a great weekend performance that we don’t have any points to show for it. Both that’s motorsport – these incidents happen. The next race is only in a couple of weeks so we’ll refocus on this and try to finish the job in Hungary."
Adrian had started from seventh, his highest-ever grid slot, and had moved into second place, just 1.2secs behind the leader Rubens Barrichello by the time of his first pit stop on lap 27. Sadly he was unable to capitalise on this as he clashed with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen on the exit of the first corner, causing damage to his front wing endplate that forced a return to the pits for a nose change. Relegated to 17th Adrian nevertheless pushed hard to claw back to 15th overall.
"We shouldn’t be that disappointed with this result as we have had a good weekend and the next one will come very soon" Adrian quotes. "All our development shows we are on the right track and that we are much more competitive. It was a good race for me: the start was a bit difficult but I lost just one position. In the first stint I did really well and it was looking very promising as I was up to second by my first stop. When I went out of the pit lane I saw Kimi coming on the outside of the corner and I just tried to hold my line but he went to the outside and I touched him and lost part of my front wing. That’s really when I thought the race was over for the points as I had to come back in. I kept pushing hard though as you never know what will happen. Overall I think we’ve learnt a lot; it’s the first time starting in the top 10 and it’s a different race up there! It’s been a good push for everyone in the team to get some more development so we can finally get some points."
Dr. Vijay Mallya was satisfied with the team's performance:
"It’s been largely all good this weekend and again I am very proud of the team and both our drivers. From free practice onwards we have shown a big step forward and our performance has been very competitive. It’s just a shame that after such a great weekend performance that we don’t have any points to show for it. Both that’s motorsport – these incidents happen. The next race is only in a couple of weeks so we’ll refocus on this and try to finish the job in Hungary."
To be able to submit a comment you must first log in with your user name and password. If you don't yet have an account with us, you can register here free of charge.
