Formula One news

Another pointless day for Force India

Giancarlo Fisichella took 15th position in today's Hungarian Grand Prix. Force India team-mate Adrian Sutil also raced competitively until the closing stages, however his Hungarian Grand Prix was compromised early on as a result of a brake problem. The same issue later led to a puncture and his subsequent retirement just eight laps from the end of the race. 

"My start was normal, I was on the outside going into turn one but then I had to go a little bit wide and dropped back a place," said Sutil. "Then the problems started on the third lap when my brakes started to overheat, particularly the rear ones, and I had to move my brake balance forward. From that point on I had problems, with lots of locking on the front and understeer and it was difficult to handle the car. Considering this, my race pace was not bad in the first stint, but then in the second stint I was held up by the group in front when I was quite light and lost some time there. In the final stint I had a puncture on the front right under braking and then the brakes gave up and my race was over. Overall, I am disappointed because we've worked hard for the whole weekend and then after three laps we have a problem so I couldn't show the performance I wanted to."

Giancarlo Fisichella commented, "It was a tough race as we were fighting quite a lot. We were quite heavy at the beginning of the race but the pace really wasn't too bad and I could keep up with the others in front of me. In fact the two Williams were only two laps heavier than me when I was just behind them, but I was keeping the same pace. Even at the end of the race in the last few laps I could do a 1min 22.6, which is a good lap time. In terms of strategy we did well, that was the maximum we could get from this race, we just need a step forward for the next few races."

Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer added, "An exciting race for our guys, with both driving very good races under the circumstances. Giancarlo lost a position at the start but both drove good first stints. We put them on slightly different strategies, with a short middle stint for Adrian and a longer one for Giancarlo. We were able to jump some people in the pit stops with Giancarlo, and although he just wasn't able to hold it in the final pit stop, at least we were able to race with the group in front. Adrian had a brake problem very early on, which meant we had to wind his brake balance forward and ultimately he had to stop with a puncture caused by this brake failure. While it's disappointing not to get two cars to the finish, we can be pleased with the team's performance and both the drivers who all pushed very hard this weekend."

more news

• 11 Oct.
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  • Williams struggles in qualifying
  • Another double top ten for Toro Rosso
  • McLaren delighted with qualifying
  • Back row again for Force India
  • BMW hopes rest with Kubica
  • Alonso keeps Renault competitive
  • Honda continues to struggle at Fuji
  • Photos: Saturday at Fuji
  • Mixed result at Red Bull Racing
  • Toyota team make it into top ten
  • Massa laments lack of grip
  • Hamilton happy on pole
  • Hamilton takes Japanese pole
  • Kubica on top in wet free practice
• 10 Oct.
  • Bridgestone expects grip to improve during the weekend
  • Buemi to steer medical car
  • Trouble-free day for McLaren
  • Positive day for Toro Rosso
  • Webber gives Red Bull hope
  • Mixed Friday for BMW
  • Force India upbeat after practice
  • Honda looking for more pace
  • Ferrari happy with Friday progress
  • Government will try and safe Canadian Grand Prix
  • Strong start for Toyota at home track
  • Renault shows encouraging pace at Fuji
  • Nakajima enjoys first day at Fuji Speedway
  • Glock fastest on Friday
  • Photos: Friday at Fuji
  • Hamilton leads first practice in Japan
  • Nakajima pleased with his first F1 season so far
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• 09 Oct.
  • Massa focused ahead of vital race weekend
  • Raikkonen hoping for better
  • Button still waiting for Honda's driver decision
  • Canadian GP dropped due to a 'commercial disagreement'
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  • F1 drivers: It's a shame to see Canada go
  • Ecclestone outlines dramatic F1 engine plans

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