FP1 & FP2 - Canadian GP report: Force India Mercedes

Force India started its Canadian Grand Prix weekend with a productive Friday in Montreal.

Nico Hülkenberg

“We did a large number of laps today, especially this afternoon, and that’s what you want from a Friday. The car felt good from the start, which is always an encouraging sign, and we kept on top of the track evolution, which changed a lot as the day went on. The two sessions have been fairly straightforward: a lot of tweaks and small changes to try to find the ideal balance and a bit more speed for qualifying. In general it has been a good day that gave us a lot of information.”

Sergio Perez

“The changing weather between the morning and the afternoon meant we had two very different sessions. The track was very green at first, but we still managed to learn a lot about the car and the tyres. The red flag cost us a bit of time, especially as we had just gone out for our first run when that happened. The potential for a good result in qualifying is there, but of course we need to do some work tonight to make sure we’re in the right position tomorrow. Finding the right balance under braking and good traction is crucial here so those are the areas where we are focussing our attention.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal

“Today’s programme featured a few test items aimed specifically at the requirements of this unique circuit, plus the usual Friday runs to understand the behaviour of the tyre compounds over shorter and longer stints. As always, being able to cover a good number of laps was key to the success of our day, so we can be satisfied with the outcome. Both drivers have been happy with the car from the start and feel optimistic heading into Saturday. At this circuit the margins are very small with just half a second covering fourth to fourteenth places today, so getting together the perfect lap in qualifying will be especially important.”