09/05/2009
NEWS STORY
The Force India Formula One Team will start tomorrow's Spanish Grand from 19th and 20th positions following a competitive qualifying session at the Circuit de Catalunya on the outskirts of Barcelona. Adrian Sutil will line up for the 66 lap race in 19th position while team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella will start from 20th.
Adrian recorded a 1min 21.742 lap at the end of Q1, an improvement of 0.5secs over the morning time, while Giancarlo completed a best time of 1min 22.204 after getting caught in traffic on potentially his fastest lap.
Both drivers will start the race with slightly unexpected company, directly behind McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen, Bourdais' Toro Rosso and the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.
Adrian Sutil: 'We knew that this would be a tight session and it was. The balance of my car was OK and I don't think missing the free practice session yesterday put us at a disadvantage, it was just really close out there again. Track conditions were quite good for us, and the grip of the car improved from this morning but we just didn't have enough speed at the end of the day to do any more. But it could be a good race with the people we have around us.'
Giancarlo Fisichella: 'I had some problems with traffic on my last lap and felt I could have improved the time. The car felt quite good though, more consistent than in the free practice this morning, and our race pace is always better than in qualifying. With Kovalainen and Raikkonen not far away from us I think the race will be a tough one, but let's see what we can do with the strategy and try and gain some positions.'
Dominic Harlow, chief race engineer: 'Both drivers found it difficult to get the best from the car in today's qualifying. Adrian drove two good laps at the end of the session and unfortunately Giancarlo found some traffic. Clearly we've some work to do still to improve our qualifying pace on circuits like this. We'll look to be creative with our race tomorrow and make the best of any opportunities that come our way.'