In an interview with the media, Force India’s Chief Operating Officer Otmar Szafnauer has applauded the brilliance of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez as Force India take to the fight to Formula 1’s traditional powerhouses.
Ahead of this year’s Championship Force India changed their entire driver line-up. The Force India team brought back Nico Hulkenberg, who had spent a season with Sauber, and signed Mexican racer Sergio Perez from McLaren.
The duo are working well together with Force India holding down fifth place in the Championship. The team lost out to Williams ahead of the summer break but remain in front of McLaren in the standings. In his interview with the media, Szafnauer had nothing but high praise for the driver pairing at Force India this season. He said the following:-
‘Brilliant. Just brilliant. We have a very good relationship, a long-standing one, with Nico. He is very intelligent, has good feedback and helps us develop the car.
‘Sergio has fitted in very well in his first year. He is a very quick racing driver, especially in the races. He finished on the podium and Nico has scored in every race (bar one), so they’ve both done a very good job.’
You cannot argue with what Szafnauer has stated with the pairing of Hulkenberg and Perez. It is clear that both drivers are talented enough to be there and have experience between the two which will help the team develop and move forward now and in the distant future.
As we know, Hulkenberg has a history with the team and has been very successful. It is clear that Force India has clearly gained resigning Hulkenberg back to the team and his experience is an asset to them. And it is the same with Perez. In his first year with the team, Perez has managed to secure a podium finish and also has experience from his time at Sauber and McLaren that will complement Hulkenberg’s which will benefit the team greatly.
Further on in his interview, Szafnauer has admitted that he was ‘surprised with how well’ Perez had gone compared to the highly-rated Hulkenberg. He added the following:-
‘Well, if you look at his past history, he did well at Sauber before McLaren took him, and he was against Kobayashi who is no slouch. And in the second half of 2013, he kind of took it to Button, especially in the races. But he also out-qualified Button, 10-9 over the year – and Sergio is typically stronger in the races than he is in qualifying.
‘Nico has been consistent and outscored Sergio, but Sergio has been unlucky, like contact with Massa and when he couldn’t get out of the garage to start in Malaysia. Am I surprised at his form? Not really. He is focused, wants to do well and is a good driver. I think we’ve got a good combination, and they’re both brilliant at driving the team on.’
It is clear to see that Perez is a racing driver that is quick and talented when he has the opportunity to deliver. I would agree with Szafnauer that Perez is stronger in the races, but that is where it matters. Let us not forget that it was his performances at Sauber in the 2012 season that enabled him to be signed by McLaren for last season.
However, even though Perez in the latter half of the season improved with his former team mate Jenson Button, it was sadly not enough to keep his drive for next season. Even though Hulkenberg has so far had the edge on Perez in terms of consistently bringing the car home in the points, Perez has been unlucky. But if anything, the luck that Perez has had during the season will only encourage him to do better and try and outperform his team-mate throughout the remainder of the season.
I would have to say that Force India have one of the strongest driver line ups on the grid this season. It is clear for all to see that Hulkenberg and Perez are the best choice that the team could have been and already it has been successful with the results and the consistency that they have achieved during the first half of the season.
If anything, I feel that what they have achieved so far has been remarkable and I do feel that if Hulkenberg and Perez get the opportunity to deliver during the remainder of the season, they will do so. I see a bright future for the Force India team under Hulkenberg and Perez who are both talented and capable to move the team to newer and brighter things.
The future’s bright for Force India; the future is Hulkenberg and Perez? You’d better believe it.
