Canada 2015 - GP Preview - Force India Mercedes

Vijay Mallya

Team Principal, Dr Vijay Mallya, reflects on points in Monaco and looks forward to the challenge of Montreal.

VJM: “Coming away from Monaco with six points was a fantastic result. I’ve been saying we need to maximise our opportunities and continue picking up points, and that’s exactly what we delivered in Monaco. Sergio was outstanding all weekend and we could not have asked any more of him. It was a very mature performance and a well-deserved result. Nico also showed his class, but bad luck kept him just outside the points.

“The Monaco result keeps us well placed in the championship. We’re in sixth place and have scored points in half of the races so far this season. That’s a tremendous achievement and I’m extremely proud of everyone in the team. It keeps us where we need to be as we work hard to add more performance to the car.

“The team is in a good place as we head to Canada. We’ve often gone well in Montreal and it’s one of those races where anything can happen – as we saw last year with Sergio challenging for the victory. The track layout means it should be one of our better circuits so it’s another opportunity to continue our fight for fifth place in the championship.”

Nico on Canada

Nico Hulkenberg gets set for Montreal, one of his favourite races of the year.

Nico: “I am looking forward to getting back to racing in Canada after leaving Monaco empty-handed. I feel we could have been in the points but obviously the incident on the first lap robbed us of a chance to maximise our result.

“The track in Montreal should be one that suits us. It’s a power circuit because of the long straights and you need good traction to get out of the low-speed corners. To be quick you need to attack the kerbs and be brave enough to get close to the walls. We will have soft and supersoft tyres again, which worked quite well for us in Monaco, so I think we can target points this weekend.

“It’s an unusual circuit, but I enjoy driving there and I really like the Canadian Grand Prix as an event. It’s one of my favourite races of the year. The city is cool, with a great buzz, and everybody gives us a warm welcome. There’s definitely a special feeling throughout the city during Grand Prix week.”

Sergio on Canada

Sergio Perez talks about Monaco and sets his sights on more points in Montreal.

Sergio: “I’m very positive at the moment. I feel I’m driving at my best and getting the most from every race. Monaco was pretty much a perfect weekend in terms of maximising our potential. I don’t think I could have come away with more from that race. So it was a very satisfying result for the whole team.

“Montreal is one of my favourite tracks. I still remember my podium there in 2012 – that was such a special result. Last year’s race was also one of my best, until the final lap! It was a race we had a real chance to win, but things just didn’t go our way in the end.

“Montreal is a race where anything can happen and it’s quite unpredictable. You need to be brave and keep fighting all the way. I hope this year we can be strong once again. It’s definitely a power track where the engine counts for a lot and the circuit always produces a good race.”