iSport's Force India fan Prasad Rao is optimistic about his team's chances in Germany. He shares with us on what to expect...
After British Grand Prix, there has been a long gap of three weeks for all the F1 teams to relax and carve & rehearse their strategies. For the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship the German Grand Prix switches back to the Nurburgring in the heart of the Eifel Mountains to the west of Germany. Last season the race was held in Hockenheim. Thus, last year strategies won’t work and with this season which has seen dominance of new teams & drivers, we can expect a better race weekend.
Force India has a little good news to cheer about the event which is scheduled to be held from 10 – 12 July and will be the ninth round of the 17-round series. This weekend shall be a home event for Force India’s engine partner, Mercedes-Benz as well as for Force India’s German driver Adrian Sutil. Adding to this, is the ever optimistic environment which keeps on driving in the team garage following a competitive British Grand Prix that saw Giancarlo Fisichella race to tenth overall, just under two seconds from eighth and the last point-scoring position. Force India team has high hopes of opening its point-scoring account this weekend. The team has used the extended three-week gap between races to hone the new aero package debuted in Silverstone and finalize smaller modifications that will be introduced in Germany.
Beating cars like the McLarens, the BMWs, and the Renaults says a lot for a small team like Force India. Team Principal Dr. Vijay Mallya quotes, “In Silverstone there were no luck stories, like it rained or some extraordinary event happened. This is pure racing and that’s what gives me the confidence that we’ll get there. I can only really say more when we actually get points in our pocket. The commitment of the team and the guys in the factory is fantastic. And not only are we running well, our preparations are also top notch. Everybody was pleased with the Silverstone performance, and I think this gives them the confidence that they can actually do it in Germany.”
Local lad Sutil feels “Q2 would be very nice and hopefully it would be enough for some points. It’s definitely time to get a few. We were pretty strong in Silverstone and I expect to be similar in Germany.” Sutil’s Italian teammate Giancarlo FIsichella too feels things can work in their favor considering the upgrade and the overall preparation during this long lay-off. Fisichella says “We are consistently getting closer to points but yet to win it. This is the best time for it.” He agrees with his teammate on the importance of Q2.
The German Grand Prix is obviously Adrian’s home event, although his family is based some 550km away in the south of Germany. Twenty-six year old Adrian was born in Starnberg, just outside Munich. When it comes to Giancarlo Fisichella, since 1997 he has raced at the Nurburgring in F1 eleven times. So a lot can be expected from this race weekend.
However, things are easily said than done. The downhill, the straights, the curves and the turns on the tricky Nurburgring track makes a well blended circuit. This shall definitely keep every driver on his toes. Any mistake during braking can result in an ouster.
It’s going to be a step by step process for Force India team. It would be a huge boost to secure those maiden points. With the tremendous amount of hard work being put forth by everyone, being pointless is not a deserved scene for the team for sure.
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