Monza:
Sahara Force India drivers have successfully negated a weak qualifying by delivering points on race day this Formula 1 season but it must get a strong grid position at the high-speed Monza Circuit for the Italian Grand Prix here this weekend.
Perez, who finished second on podium in 2012 for Sauber at Monza, said he would “certainly try” to repeat that performance.
“I think it’s going to be a good track for us. It’s important to qualify in the top ten to have a chance of scoring good points. It’s difficult to overtake at Monza and if you are out of position it’s hard to recover,” the Mexican said.
Nico Hulkenberg said they will use a new rear wing for the Monza race, considering the low downforce nature of the track.
“It looks simple, but hooking up a quick lap is still a challenge and it’s easy to make mistakes. I expect us to be quite competitive there. It should be better for us than Spa. It’s all about power and top speed and we know the engine will be strong. We also have a new low downforce rear wing that we will use for Monza only. Braking from top speed for the chicanes with a skinny rear wing is always tricky,” he said.
Team Principal Vijay Mallya said his side was still a strong contender for the fifth position with seven races to go. The team has slipped in the team standings since Austria and was overtaken by McLaren in the last round at Spa. Force India have 103 points to McLaren’s 105.
“We’re now sixth in the standings and coming away from Spa with five points was a good exercise in damage limitation. It means we are only two points away from fifth place with all to play for in the coming races. With the double points in Abu Dhabi, too, the battle is likely to remain open for us until the final race,” the liquor baron said.
