Nice Hulkenberg: "We got an idea of where we are"

Ahead of a crucial weekend in Malaysia, Nico Hulkenberg talked to the media on various Formula 1 aspects. He talked about the development race, how he doesn’t expect the ‘extra power’ of Mercedes to last longer, and also highlighted that Sepang will offer a different viewpoint of the pecking order as compared to the one that we witnessed in Melbourne.

When asked about the team’s approach to Sepang, Hulkenberg pointed out that it’s going to be the same as two weeks before.

“Trying to build it, trying to improve it. Very different characteristics, very different temperature conditions. So, we have to see as to how it behaves, as we have the harder compounds, and we have to see how we get on with them. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same as in two weeks before.”

Nico also stated that Force India had a promising weekend at Melbourne, despite the fact that they didn’t have pace after the race.

“I think there were areas where we could improve, but I think after all in the bottomline, we got what we could, and we had a promising weekend, and we’re happy with it.”

When asked about his thoughts on the pecking order, Hulkenberg stated that Force India has a vague idea of where everyone stands at the moment.

“I personally expected them (Mercedes) to be strong, but we got idea an where we are, and where others are, think we just need to keep on working hard, keep developing. I think we’re in a good position, and there’s room for development with the car, and with a good static point, we just need to build on.”

Asked if reliability is a concern at Malaysia, as Melbourne didn’t possess a major challenge to the teams, Hulkenberg said that it’s one of those things which can’t be ascertained.

“Not necessarily; it’s one of those things which is hard to speculate. So I just don’t know.”

And to conclude, Nico was asked about the extra power from the Mercedes engines, and whether that would benefit the Mercedes teams; Hulkenberg is wary of the development race in Formula 1.

“Yes, at this point it’s a development race, and that might change. All the manufacturers are developing hard, and no one stands still in Formula 1, and things change.”

By Bala Yogesh