Force India drawing inspiration from last year’s race at Valencia
June 21st, 2011 - 9:00 pm ICT by IANSValencia, June 21 (IANS) Force India will look to put behind the disappointment of the Montreal race and secure a top ten finish at the Formula One Grand Prix of Europe at the Valencia Street Circuit here Sunday.
The 5.4 km track mainly consists of straights and hairpin bends and has 25 turns, the maximum on F1 calendar this season. Force India have traditionally relied on their straight-line speed for better results so the circuit gives them yet another crack at finishing amongst top-10 for points.
Drivers Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta suffered accidents in the rain-hit Canadian GP (June 10-12) and missed a genuine opportunity to finish among points.
Di Resta was running at sixth place at one stage but he clipped one of the walls towards the end and finished 18th while Sutil retired on 49th lap.
Sutil, who finished sixth here last season after qualifying 13th on the grid, said the track is not one of his favourite but the past result will give him confidence.
“I have good memories of here, especially from last year’s race. Although we struggled in qualifying, I got lucky in the race with the safety car and made up quite a few positions to finish sixth. It would be great to have another result like that to make up for the disappointment we had in Canada,” said Sutil.
“In the past it was always very difficult to overtake in Valencia, even with such long straights. That problem should be solved this year with the DRS (Drag Reduction System) available and I expect there to be much more overtaking in the race,” added the German.
British driver di Resta has been impressive so far in his first season and is geared up for racing on a track where he has done only one practice session.
“What I do remember (of the practice session) is that I quite enjoyed the track and it wasn’t too difficult to learn. Although it’s a long lap there are not that many difficult corners and the main characteristic is the long straight,” said di Resta.
“Because of the long straights I think this is another track where we will see a big advantage with the DRS. Tyre wear will also be a crucial factor for the weekend because it’s another street track and it’s difficult to predict how the tyres will perform.”
The race will be crucial for Force India in the context of the Constructors’ Championship where it has dropped to the eighth place after a pointless race and an impressive show by their closest rivals Toro Rosso, who scored five points and moved to seventh place.
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- Hamilton takes maiden pole in Korea; di Resta, Sutil 9th and 10th - Oct 15, 2011
- Alonso wins British Grand Prix, Force India draw blank - Jul 10, 2011
- No points for Force India, Karthikeyan 21st at Turkish GP - May 08, 2011
- Vettel wins Belgian Grand Prix, Sutil seventh - Aug 28, 2011
- Webber secures elusive win in Brazil, Force India end season on a high - Nov 28, 2011
- Webber claims pole, Di Resta 6th fastest at British GP - Jul 09, 2011
- Vettel wins Singapore GP, Force India record season's best result - Sep 25, 2011
- Hamilton wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, both Force Indias in top-10 - Nov 13, 2011
- Italian GP: Di Resta's 8th place puts Force India ahead of Sauber - Sep 11, 2011
- Force India target better qualifying spot at Monaco GP - May 25, 2011
Tags: accidents, adrian sutil, canadian gp, crack, disappointment, drag reduction, drs, force india, formula one grand prix, genuine opportunity, grand prix of europe, hairpin bends, inspiration, june 21, line speed, practice session, resta, safety car, straight line, valencia street