Practice report
Formula 1
Japanese GP: Force India drivers confident despite curtailed practice
Sahara Force India expressed confidence with their Free Practice 1 run in the dry at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Vivek Phadnis
Edited: Oct 6, 2017, 2:57 PM
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FP2 ended up being a damp squib with very few laps being put in. Esteban Ocon was seventh and second, while Sergio Perez was 13th and third in the two sessions respectively.
The drivers said they had completed a lot of aerodynamic testing in FP1.
“We knew it would be a difficult day because of the weather. So we chose to maximise the morning session to complete as much dry running as we could,” said Perez.
“We did some aero testing and we need to analyse the data to make sure we choose the right direction for Saturday. The car was working well in the dry, but we need to make some changes tonight to make sure I am totally comfortable.
“When the rain arrived, I went out to do a few laps just to get a feel for the balance in the wet conditions. There was a lot of standing water and we didn’t do many laps, but at least we have run on the wet tyres in case it rains again on Saturday,’ he added.
Ocon said: “During FP2, we went out to experience the conditions and the car felt strong. So, I’m not worried if it rains on Saturday.
“If it’s wet or dry, we have a well-balanced car and we can be competitive.
“In the dry, the car was not far away from where I wanted it to be. It was similar to how the car felt in Malaysia. So that’s a good sign.
“We didn’t have much time to work on the setup adjustments, but I have a good feeling and we know where we need to focus tonight,” he added.
Deputy Team Principal Robert Fernley said; “Rain limited our afternoon programme. There was also some component testing of our new aero updates spread across both cars.
“The red flag and the light rain at the end of the morning compressed the session, but we are not in bad shape and have a reasonable amount of data to help us prepare for qualifying and the race.
“We went out in the wet conditions just to get an idea of how the wet tyres are performing. Both drivers were happy in the wet,” he added.
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