05 Oct 2012

The Suzuka weekend has started well for Sahara Force India, with Nico Hülkenberg finishing FP2. Here Nico shares his thoughts on today and also the retirement of countryman Michael Schumacher.

The team came here thinking that perhaps Suzuka would not be the best track for the car, so was today a surprise?
“Today was a little bit of a surprise, to be honest. On low fuel we really looked competitive. The high fuel runs, I think we have some more work to do.”

So have you revised your expectations after today’s performance?
“No, I think that would be a bit too quick. If you look just at the time sheet, it looks good. But as I said the high fuel runs didn’t look as good in relation to the low fuel. Maybe we can improve there a little bit. It’s a good starting point, but our target as usual is to get points on Sunday.”

Do you enjoy Suzuka?
“It’s one of my favourite circuits. I can’t see a driver not liking this place! It’s just a great circuit, a lot of challenging corners and very technical. So it’s tough.”

The big news this weekend is the retirement of Michael Schumacher. Any thoughts on his decision?
“He is still the one and only seven times World Champion, retiring from Formula One again, so the sport will lose a big star. A lot of fans will be disappointed for sure, but it’s his personal choice in the end. It’s his life.”

 

 

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