Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez are looking forward to an upturn in form with an updated car in Spain.
The team have had a difficult start to the year, lying in seventh in the Constructors’ Championship after four races, but they did score their first points since the Australian Grand Prix when Perez recovered from first-lap contact to finish ninth.
However, this was a race that also saw Hulkenberg retire on the first lap, and he wants to show their real pace at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
“I felt pretty disappointed about what happened in Sochi,” the German said. “In fact, things have gone against us for the last few races.
“We know we should have scored more points, but it’s impossible to plan for the bad luck we’ve experienced.
“I’m looking forward to a weekend where everything goes to plan so that we can show our true potential.”
Meanwhile, Perez was boosted by his finish in Sochi, his first points finish of 2016, and is optimistic for similar results this weekend.
“It was important to get back into the points in Russia,” the Mexican said.
“The car performed very well all weekend and I can feel the progress we’ve made since the start of the year.
“It was not a smooth race, but we didn’t give up and scoring two points was a good recovery. It’s been a difficult start to the year, but it feels like the momentum is changing now and the performance in Sochi was a big boost for all of us.
“Barcelona will be the first chance to run our updated car. It’s going to be a huge task to understand everything on Friday, but it’s always exciting to try new parts on the car.”
