F1
As Force India prepares for its 100th grand prix, Sutil explains why he’s brimming with confidence.
RedBull.com: A good result last time out in Monaco. Can you carry the form forward to here in Montreal?
Adrian Sutil: Yes. I fought hard for the position [in Monaco] and I really enjoyed the race at the end. It was a bit boring at the beginning but after the safety cars and the break it was like a sprint race and it opened up a lot of possibilities.
We’re really close to the podium and I want to get there as soon as possible.
Fifth place was good and it just showed again that the car is fast. I saw we had very good speed in the past few races but it was just not happening for some reason. I didn’t give up though, I just thought: it will come, just keep doing the same as always.
I’m glad it happened the way it did in Monaco and now we have 13 more races to come in which we’ll try to score as many points as possible, We’re really close to the podium and I want to get there as soon as possible.
RB: Have you been surprised by how competitive the VJM06 has been since the start of the season?
AS: In the winter test I had only two test days but I said straight away that it was one of the best Force Indias I’ve ever driven, with a very neutral balance and always good for a fast lap, so I haven’t been surprised that we’ve been strong. But if I see the pace in Bahrain I was the fastest car on the circuit after the puncture of my tyre. Maybe that was more than I expected but I was always sure that with this car I could score a lot of points.
RB: There’s talk now of a change to the tyres for Silverstone. Is that a worry for you given that Force India have made a virtue of making a stop less than others in some races?
AS: In Monaco almost all the cars were on a one-stop, us too, so there wasn’t such a big difference in strategy. The race pace of our car is just good. There might be changes to the tyres and it might be good for some other teams but I don’t think it will slow us down.
RB: So you’re confident that the car will maintain the pace it’s shown so far?
AS: Yes, I’m very confident and if the car is not fast enough then we’ll make it faster. It’s quite simple. There are some nice races coming up [for us] – Silverstone, Nurburgring, Spa and Monza, those are cool places and I love to race there.
RB: This level of competitiveness must be making your comeback a more comfortable experience?
AS: It’s more enjoyable, of course, to have good results. It’s been nice to start with a car that’s competitive but you always have to work. After every race you have to analyse everything, think about it. If you sleep you lose. It’s not only about achieving [competitiveness] once, you want to be there consistently.
I’ve got plenty of power and energy for the coming races.
RB: And the points in Monaco must have given you those good emotions for the rest of the season?
AS: Yes. It was about time! [I had] four times with zero points but knowing that the car was able to deliver a great result, so I was desperate for a good points finish and it gave me those emotions. Now I’ve got plenty of power and energy for the coming races.
