BAHRAINSPORTS
APRIL 2014
F
FORCE INDIA
20
t h e g a m e sports magazine
orce India appear ready to make a push
for the front of the grid in 2014.
After years of battling it out in the
middle of the pack, the young but supremely
talented pairing of Nico Hulkenberg and
Sergio Perez may be exactly what they need to
finally claim their first-ever victory in the top
flight and eventually break into Formula One’s
elite.
But until they make that jump, there remains plenty of uncertainty, especially heading
into this season.
Their winter has been encouraging, with
both drivers taking turns in setting the pace on
separate days of testing in Bahrain.
Following such performances, Hulkenberg
is upbeat.
“I feel comfortable (in the car), but I think
this feeling will grow stronger during the
season,” said the German, who is having his
second stint with the team. “The cars are different compared to last year: the corner speeds
are lower because there is less downforce and
the engine behaviour is quite different.
“So it’s a new challenge and it’s difficult to
tell just from testing how it will feel during a
race weekend.
“It’s not easy (to set expectations). Testing
only tells you so much, but I think we still
have some performance in our pocket. I just
hope we are competitive and can race for good
points.”
Perez, who is racing with the team for
the first time this year, echoed Hulkenberg’s
sentiments.
“I think we are feeling well prepared going into Melbourne,” the Mexican said of the
season’s first race.
“Testing has had its ups and downs, as always, but we ended the second Bahrain test in
a good position. There are still areas we need
to improve, but I think we have made a good
start and we can build on that.
“It’s always a good feeling to start with a
new team. I had a full winter to get to know
everyone and I’m feeling ready now. The team
is very hungry and I hope we can achieve
some great things this year.” THE GAME