INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Four OGQ Badminton Players in Finals

    Saturday 17th Dec 2011 turned out to be a great day for OGQ Badminton Players as all 4 of them, Saina Nehwal, Guru Saidutt, P.V. Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, stormed into the finals of their respective tournaments. Interestingly, all 4 of them won their respective matches in straight sets,

    The first player in action was Saina Nehwal and she created history by becoming the first Indian singles player to reach the summit clash of the BWF Super Series Finals. Saina, who topped Group B by winning all 3 of her group matches, played an attacking game to beat Tine Baun of Denmark 21-17 21-18. She will now play against World#1 Yihan Wang of China in the finals.
    Next up was 10 year old Lakshya Sen in the semi-finals of U-11 Singapore Youth International Seriesand he beat Ling Wei Jie of Malaysia 21-10 21-10 in a one-sided affair. He will now play against Syabda Perkasa of Indonesia in the finals.
    Back home in Mumbai, Guru Saidutt and P.V. Sindhu were in impeccable form and had easy victories in their semi-final matches in the Tata Open International Challenge. #2 seed Guru Saidutt beat Hiren Shesar of Indonesia 21-12 21-8 in just 29 minutes and now takes on #1 seed and defending champion Yunus Alamsyah of Indonesia in the final. #2 seed P.V. Sindhu beat Tsz Chan of Hong Kong 21-16 21-14 and now plays against #8 seed Sayali Gokhale in the final.
    OGQ is very proud of all of them and we wish them luck for their finals tomorrow. Do watch their matches Live on TV and support them.
    You can catch all the action live on Sunday evening at the following timings:
    Saina Nehwal vs Yihan Wang:     01:00 pm on Neo Sports
    P.V. Sindhu vs Sayali Gokhale:    5:15 pm on DD Sports
    Guru Saidutt vs Yunus Alamsyah: 6:45 pm on DD Sports
    Courtesy: Team Olympic Gold Quest

  • After a long wait, Force India confirms Hulkenberg to pair Paul di Resta for 2012

    16 Dec 2011: Sahara Force India Formula One Team  confirmed on Friday 16th Dec 2011 that Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg will form its line-up for the 2012 season in a press release today. Paul continues with the team for his second season in a race seat, while Nico steps up from his role as reserve driver.

    Together they form one of the most exciting pairings on the grid. Dr. Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director: “I am delighted to present our line-up for the 2012 season. In Paul and Nico we have two extremely talented drivers with tremendous potential. “I think Paul caught the eye of everybody in the pit lane during his rookie season. His speed, maturity and racecraft confirmed that we were right to believe in him and we look forward to working with him again next year. “As for Nico, we identified him as a rising star at the end of 2010 and chose to evaluate him during the course of this season. Despite having only limited time in the car, he convinced us that he deserved a race seat for 2012.

    “Our new line-up means we say ‘goodbye’ to Adrian Sutil, who has been with the team since we entered the sport. He has been an integral part of our success over the past four seasons and we wish him well for the future.” Paul Di Resta: “I’m really looking forward to my second season of Formula One and continuing to grow and develop with Sahara Force India. I’ve said all along that I love being part of this team: they are ambitious, hungry for success and we work well together. I’m really excited about 2012 and there is a real sense of belief that we can continue to push the top teams and take another step forward. I’d also like to thank the team for all their hard work this year and for all the support they’ve given me. I’ll take some time out over the next few weeks to recharge my batteries and hopefully come back even stronger in 2012.”

    Nico Hulkenberg: “I’m obviously delighted to be staying with Sahara Force India and to be given the chance to race next year. It wasn’t easy to watch from the sidelines this season, but I did my best to help the team and show what I was capable of. I’m extremely motivated for 2012 and would like to thank everyone for believing in me and giving me this chance. I’m keen to get down to work over the winter to develop our new car and help the team build on this year’s achievements. The first test in Jerez can’t come soon enough.” Images are free for download for any editorial use, please credit Sahara Force India Formula One Team. Commercial use should be approved by Sahara Force India.

  • Gill wins Indian National Rally Championship for third time

    Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif of Team MRF on the podium after winning the Rally of Odisha.

    Bhubaneswar, 11 Dec 2011: With a facile win at the Rally of Odisha,Delhi driver Gaurav Gill along with celebrated co-driver Musa Sherif of Kasargod, representing Team MRF, won the Speed Indian National Rally Championship 2011 with a round to spare, taking an unbeatable 72-point lead over the nearest rival Amittrajit Ghosh and (Aswin Naik). For the 30-year speed maestro, who is arguably the fastest rally driver in the country, the victory at the maiden National rally event in Orissa helped him achieve the third national title. Gill won the INRC title in 2007 and 2009. Making the right calls and ably supporting the speed of Gill is his navigator, Musa Sherif, who is a top navigator in the country with more than 207 rallies to his credit.

    Aniruddha Rangnekar, too won the driver’s national title here with a round to spare, in the 1600 cc class.

    Jointly organised by Kalinga Motor Sports Club and Bengal Motor Sports Club, the Rally of Odisha, the sixth of the seven-round Speed Indian National Rally Championship held under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and promoted by IMG Sports and Pro-Sports Promotion (PSP) concluded here today. Rally de Bengal will be held atDurgapurnext Sunday.

    With an eye on the national title, Guarav Gill drove his Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia mixing caution with aggression but never let the pedal off the gas, clocking the fastest times in all the three special stages held on Sunday. He increased the lead over the nearest driver to 6 minutes 18 seconds clocking 11 minutes 18 second in SS-5, 11.08 in SS-6 and 11.19 in SS-7, the last special stage of the rally. He touched speeds of 160 kmph in SS-6 over a distance of 14.18 kms for an average speed of 76.30 kmph for that stage. Gill now has 172 points in the championship table while Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) by virtue of their overall third place (23 points) here taking second in the table standings with 100 points. However, with Lohit Urs (co-driver Srinivasa Moorthy PV), who retired in this rally with an engine failure on Saturday, having 77 points, the last rally of the calendar will witness a fight only for the second overall position in the national championship.

    In the 2000 N class, Karna Kadur (co-driver Somonnita Ghosh) took the lead in the National title over Rahul Kantharaj (Vivek Bhatt) despite his second place finish here and the battle is expected to continue I Kolkota. Yogeshwar Gill of US, with TN’s Jeevarathinam as navigator, won the 2000N class here and also finished overall second ahead of Ghosh and Ashwin.

    Pune driver Aniruddha Rangnekar’s second place here was enough to clinch the National Driver’s championship in the 1600 cc class with a round spare as he took an unbeatable lead over his nearest rival Balram CG, who skipped this rally. Aniruddha and co-driver Anoop Kumar ofBangalorefinished second here clocking 1 min 26.26.1 while Hanoosh Surapneni and co-driver Ravindra Kumar won this rally with a handsome lead to beat the champions at 1 min 24: 47.4 seconds. Ajgar Ali and Debashis finished third.

    Talented Mangalore teenager, who made a stunning debut winning the K-1000 rally inBangaloreearly this year, made the motorsport pundits to stand up and take notice. He suffered a loss in the next rally in Chikmaglur but came back with a bang to win the 1400 cc class in the Rally of Odisha. He was blocked by a slow car yesterday and got  minus (-) 42-second penalty from the stewards but proved his worth by winning with over a 50-second margin. Vikram Rao Aroor (AG Somayya) finished second while championship leader Karan AM along with Shanmugha SM was content with a third place.

    Rafeeq Ur Rehman (co-driver Ajith KP) won the rally in the Gypsy class pushing the husband-wife duo Sachin Singh/ Shree Latha to second place and veteran Sanjay Agarwal/ Ramesh Kumar Venu came third.

    Unaudited provisional Results (final classification):

    Overall – 2000 cc N+: 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Gill (Team MRF) 1 hour 13 minutes 02.5 seconds; 2. Dr Yogeshwar Gill / Jeevarathinam 1:19.20.8; 3. Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik (Team MRF) 1: 19: 33.8.

    2000cc N+: 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Gill (Team MRF) 1 hour 13 minutes 02.5 seconds; 2. Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik (Team MRF) 1: 19: 33.8.

    2000cc N: 1. Dr Yogeshwar Gill / Jeevarathinam 1:19.20.8; 2. Karna Kadur/ Somonnita Ghosh ; 1: 20:25.9; 3. Dr Dhirendra Kumar/ Honey Narulla 1: 29: 26.4;

    1600 cc: 1. Hanoosh Surapaneni/ Ravindra Kumar 1: 24: 47.4; 2. Aniruddha Rangnekar/ Anoop Kumar 1: 28:26.1; 3. Ajgar Ali/ Debashis Ghosh 1: 30:28.8;

    1400cc: 1. Dean Mascerenhas/ Shruptha Padival 1: 22.08.2; 2. Vikram Rao Aroor / AG Somayya 1: 22: 58.6;  3. Karan AM/ Shanmugha SM  1: 24: 15.6.

    Gypsy: 1. Shafeeq Ur Rehman/ Ajith KP 1:28: 10.7; 2. Sachin Singh/ Sri Latha 1:37.44.1; 3.Sanjay Agarwal/ Ramesh Kumar V 1: 41: 54.7.

    Gaurav Gill of Team MRF
  • Karna/ Somonnita lead the 2000 N class in the Rally of Odisha on Saturday near Bhubaneswar.

  • Gill takes control as Lohit Urs slips – Odisha Rally

    Bhubaneswar, 10 Dec 2011: Dare devil Delhi driver Gaurav Gill along with celebrated co-driver Musa Sherif, of Team MRF, displayed controlled aggression but still enjoyed driving the fast but technically challenging dirt tracks of the Utkal Stage to record the fastest times in all the three special stages (SS) run on Saturday and virtually sealed the championship as the main challenger Lohit Urs (co-driver PV Srinivasa Moorthy) suffered a casualty after their car stalled on the third special stage of the Rally of Odisha, the sixth round of the Speed Indian National Rally Championship, about 55kms from here on Saturday.

    The 30-year-old Gill drove the Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia in a relaxed manner but still managed to take a 38-second lead and 7 leg points for being the fastest driver which took his tally in the National championship to 140 points against 91 for second-placed Lohit Urs. “We are clocking high speeds and I was pushing the car to the limit. Unfortunately, with just a kilometer to the finish, the engine failed,’’ said a disappointed Lohit. Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) finished second on Saturday with a time of 39 minutes 54.4 seconds.

    In the 2000N class, Rahul Kanthraj/Vivek Y Bhatt had a `break-down’ in SS 2 while in the 1600 cc class Pritul Dey/ Mukesh Thakkar suffered a mechanical failure in SS3. Only 15 of the 18 cars finished the day.

    In the 2000 N category, talented youngster from Bangalore Karna Kadur and his lady navigator from Kolkota clocked fastest times in all the three special stages to take a 42-second lead and with Rahul Kantharaj and Vivek retiring, Dr Yogeshwar Gill of US along with co-driver Jeevarathinam are placed second.

    Championship leaders in the 1600 cc class, Aniruddha Rangnekar of Pune and co-driver Anoop Kumar ofBangalorehad a spin in SS 4 and lost about 55 seconds as Hanoosh Soorapaneni/ Ravinder Kumar took the lead. Ajgar Ali and Debasish Ghosh are following the leaders in the third place.

    Rafeeq Ur Rehman (co-driver Ajith KP) are ahead of husband-wife duo Sachin Singh/ Shree Latha while Sanjay Agarwal/ Ramesh Kumar Venu are in third in the Gypsy Class. In the 1400 cc Rally Cup, title contenders Karan AM and co-driver Shanmugha SN took a narrow lead of over 12 seconds over talented Mangalore youngster Dean Mascerenhas and Shruptha Padval while Vikram Aroor and Somayya are trailing third.

    Jointly organised by Kalinga Motor Sports Club and Bengal Motor Sports Club, Rally of Odisha, the sixth of the seven-round Speed Indian National Rally Championship is being held under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and is promoted by IMG Sports and Pro-Sports Promotion (PSP).

    The rally will run three special stages named Konark in the same direction at Gurudjhatia, about 50km from here off NH 42 and will return to the city for a podium finish and champagne shower at 3pm.

    Results (Unaudited provisional classification) after Day 1:

    Overall – 2000 cc N+: 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Gill (Team MRF) 39 minutes, 15.9 seconds; 2. Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik (Team MRF) 39: 54.4..

    2000cc N: 1. Karna Kadur/ Somonnita Ghosh ; 41:46.7; 2. Dr Yogeshwar Gill/ Jeevarathinam 42: 29.3; 3. Dr Dhirendra Kumar/ Honey Narulla 48: 18.0;

    1600 cc: 1. Hanoosh Surapaneni/ Ravindra Kumar 46: 29.1; 2. Aniruddha Rangnekar/ Anoop Kumar 47:40.1; 3. Azgar Ali/ Debashis Ghosh 47:48.2;

    1400cc: 1. Karan AM/ Shanmugha SM 44: 52.4; 2. Dean Mascerenhas/ Shruptha Padival 45: 04.8; 3. Vikram Rao Aroor / AG Somaya  45: 16.1;

    Gypsy: 1. Shafeeq Ur Rehman/ Ajith KP 47:54.1; 2. Sachin Singh/ Sri Latha 53:37.2; 3.Sanjay Agarwal/ Ramesh KumarV 1 min: 04.33.6.

    Gaurav Gill of Team MRF, who tightened the grip on the Indian National Rally Championship 2000 N+ class with a comfortable lead at the Rally of Odisha, the sixth and penultimate round of the Speed INRC at Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

  • Gill thrills the crowd as Orissa enters Rally map of India

    Bhubaneswar, 9 Dec 2011: Speed king Gaurav Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif) of Team MRF thrilled the 1,000-strong audience with `sliding turns’ at high speeds and received a thunderous applause at every turn as the motor sports fans of Orissa got their first taste of a National event at the spectator friendly Super Special Stage held in the City here on Friday. The Stage kick started the Rally of Odish, the sixth round of the Speed Indian National Rally Championship.

    Gill drove his Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia with aplomb to clock 2 minutes 30.72 seconds to emerge fastest after finishing the 1.5 km 2-lap section while his challenger and former teammate Lohit Urs (co-driver PV Srinivasa Moorthy), who is a private entry here, was more cautious as he timed 2 min 34.18 secs. The other car in the 2000 N + category, Amittrajit Ghosh of Kolkota (with Ashwin Naik as navigator) was a second slower than Urs at 2: 35.24 in the third place.

    Jointly organised by Kalinga Motor Sports Club and Bengal Motor Sports Club, Rally of Odisha, the sixth of the seven-round Speed Indian National Rally Championship is being held under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and is promoted by IMG Sports and Pro-Sports Promotion (PSP).

    “There is a long straight where the cars are expected to touch top speeds of 180 kmph but the route is also technical and challenging as there is a lot of `pea gravel’ and cars can slip and slide off the road,’’ said Gill, who is leading the table in the top class.

    In the 2000 cc N+ category, Lohit Urs and co-driver PVS Murthy will be the only competition to Team MRF, who fielded only two teams instead of the regular four. It may be recalled that veteran Arjun Balu announced his retirement after 17 years of rallying at Chikmagalur last month to leave Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif as the leading contenders while youngster Amittrajit Ghosh of Kolkota will be the other entry for Team MRF with Ashwin Naik as his navigator.

    Gaurav Gill who is leading the overall championship needs to stay ahead of second-placed Lohit Urs to clinch the issue here, with only the last leg at Kolkota remaining. To stay in contention for the National title, Urs should win here with at least a three point margin ahead of Gill. In the 2000 cc class, a fierce fight is expected between Rahul Kantharaj (Vivek Bhatt) the table topper lost three seconds to Karna Kadur/ Somonnita Ghosh, to gain advantage in the mind games ahead of the special stages on Saturday and Sunday.

    Newcomers Pritul Dey/ Sumit Mukherjee were a second ahead of leaders Aniruddha Rangnekar/ Anoop Kumar in the 1600 cc class while Karan AM /Shanmuga topped the time charts. Sanjay Agarwal/  Ramesh Kumar Venu were ahead by a fraction of a second in the Gypsy class.

    Results (Unaudited provision classification) after SSS:

    Overall – 2000 cc N+: 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Gill, Team MRF, 2 minutes, 30.7; 2. Lohit Urs/ PV Srinivas Moorthy (Privateer) 2: 34.1; 3. Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik (Team MRF) 2: 35.2.

    2000cc N: 1. Karna Kadur/ Somonnita Ghosh ; 2:35.8; 2. Rahul Kantharaj/ Vivek Y Bhatt  2: 38.0; 3. Dr Dhirendra Kumar/ Honey Narulla 2: 46.9;

    1600 cc: 1. Pritul Dey/ Sumit Mukherjee 2: 50.8; 2. Aniruddha Rangnekar/ Anoop Kumar 2:51.4; 3. Azgar Ali/ Debasish Ghosh 2:54.3;

    1400cc: 1. Karan AM/ Shanmugha SM 2: 43.8; 2. Dean Mascerenhas/ Shruptha Padival 2: 37.2; 3. Aroor Vikram Rao/ AG Somaya  2: 49.0;

    Gypsy: 1. Sanjay Agarwal/ Ramesh KumarV 2: 42.0; 2. Shafeeq Ur Rehman/ Ajith KP  2:42.9; 3. Sachin Singh/ Sri Latha 2:42.9.

  • Sanjay Takle occupies top spot in Time, Speed, Distance Rally

    Kohima (Nagaland), 4 Dec 2011: The 37-year-old veteran rally driver from Chandigarh, Sunny Sidhu won the 5th JK Tyre Hornbill International Motor Rally 2011 here on Sunday.

    Sunny was competing for the Autocross event with participation from countries likeUK, Japan, Thailand & Laos on the course of 100 kms, competing for prize money of Rs 20,000. Sunny said, “I’m extremely happy to win on my debut. The competition was tough but with a mixture of sweeping and tight corners, the track was nice. But how you get your clean lines in the corners will decide you times,”  the Chandigarh driver said.

    Hari Singh, five-time National Rally Champion and Asia Zone Rally winner, now Manager-Motorsports, JK Tyre flagged off the rally which saw more than 100 cars and motorcycles from UK, Japan, Thailand and Laos at the start at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Kohima. The two-day rally covered a distance of 100 kilometers through different parts of Kohima district and touched the historic battle ground of the Battle of Kohima, which was one of the fiercest battles of the World War II.

    The Time, Speed, Distance (TSD) rally which was organized by the Nagaland Adventure and Motor Sports Association (NAMSA) and sponsored by the Government of Nagaland saw Sanjay Takle, along with his navigator Satish Gopalkrishnawas the winner of the 4 Wheeler TSD rally, bagging a prize of Rs 50,000. He said, “The event was fantastic and I had a great come back this year.I thank the sponsors and the organisers for organsing such a great event.Competing with Sunny Sidhu and Chandrashekhar Mouli is not an easy task but then I put in my best and made it to the finish line first,” he further added.

    Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre said: “We are extremely delighted to be associated with the Hornbill International Motor Rally for five years now. JK Tyre has always been investing in tapping motorsport talents from every corner of the country and this rally has further accelerated the craze not only amongst the motorsport lovers of India but also of neighboring countries.”

    The rally coincides with the famous Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, a seven-day extravaganza of cultural performances, ethnic food courts, handlooms and handicrafts bazaars, film and art festivals, fashion shows and national rock contest.

    About JK Tyre Motorsports

    JK Tyre has always been closely associated with the world of sports. Almost three decades back the company laid down a long term and sustained approach to promote Motorsport. Participating in this form of the sport has helped the company in continuously updating its products to meet the challenges of grueling Indian conditions. The sport at that time in India was perceived for elite but JK Tyre took upon itself to package and redesign the sport to suit the masses. The company not only made the sport affordable but also equivalent to International operating standards. JK Tyre’s foray into Motorsport was a well thought out strategic decision to not only use and develop this virgin branding platform but also to realize the dreams of making India a force in the field of motor sport. (JK Tyre Release)

  • FIA’s gala awards ceremony in Delhi on Dec 9

    December 2, 2011: Cream of motorsports talent from around the world including the championship winning drivers of Formula 1 will descend on the National capital for the  gala awards ceremony which comes to India for the first time on Dec 9.

    Delegates of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) will be in  New Delhi for a week of events surrounding the Annual General Assembly (AGA) and Prize-Giving which, for the first time, will be held together in New Delhi from 5 to 9 December.

    The traditional FIA event will not be held at its customary venue of Monte Carlo and India will now witness the crowning of champions from Formula 1 to those of other FIA-certified events such as World Touring Car, World Rally Championship, World Karting, Asia Pacific Rally, Formula Two etc., who will all descend on the capital on the 9th of December.

    The FMSCI and the FIA, as the combined hosts of this week’s events, have planned an interesting and varied programme for its delegates, including excursions to the Taj Mahal, light and sound displays at the famous Red Fort, a visit to the Mughal Gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan and even high tea with the Delhi Chief Minister. As a part of the social calendar, the delegates will also have the opportunity to visit some of India’s prime tourist destinations such as Jaipur and Udaipur among others.

    The extravaganza in New Delhi will see the AGA and Prize-Giving coming together for the very first time, giving all AGA delegates an opportunity to witness the Annual Prize-Giving Gala as well. The two World Councils have important meetings, and will also convene as the Committee, focusing on the continually closer cooperation between Sport and Mobility through the FIA Action for Road Safety Initiative. Both the FIA Foundation and the FIA Institute will bring their General Assemblies together, providing an opportunity to learn more about their programmes and activities as well.

    Chairman of the FMSCI, Dr. Vijay Mallya, who has worked in cooperation with FIA President Jean Todt to bring the event to India said, “My intention to invite FIA to hold its Annual General Assembly and Prize-Giving in India stems from my confidence that this move from the heart of Europe to South Asia is a significant milestone in the history of Motorsport and Mobility. This will present new opportunities to the FIA Family for discovering the vast potential that India offers.”

    FMSCI President, Vicky Chandhok, stated, “The FMSCI now has a very active interaction with the FIA. India has also been a beneficiary of the Facilities Improvement Programme (FIP) grant and the Officials Training Programme (OSTP) grant from the FIA Institute in the preparation of a master plan to upgrade India’s existing facilities in Madras and the training of Indian officials respectively. On the back of the success of the FIA Formula 1 Championship conducted this year, the next target for the FMSCI is for India to host a round of the FIA World Rally Championship and the CIK World Karting Championship”.

    All the high-profile meetings including the all-important World Motor Sport Council will be held at Taj Palace hotel, right in the heart of the diplomatic district of New Delhi. The Gala evening however, including the AGA Gala dinner and the glittering FIA Prize-Giving will take place at Gurgaon’s impressive Kingdom of Dreams.

    About FMSCI

    The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) was founded in 1971 and is a long-standing member of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA), the world bodies for 2/3 and 4 wheeler motor sport respectively. The FMSCI is the only national motor sport federation recognised by the Government of India for the promotion and control of motor sport in India, and is affiliated to the prestigious Indian Olympic Association. The FMSCI is affiliated to the Asian Motorcycle Union (UAM), the Continental Asian wing of the FIM. Having been the ASN of the FIA since its inception but for a few years in between, FMSCI now looks forward to stability and growth of Motorsport in the country.  (FMSCI Release)

  • Sutil finishes 6th, Paul 8th; Force India keeps 6th place in Constructors’ championship

    Inter Lagos, 27 Nov 2011: (Sahara Force India Release): Sahara Force India equalled its best result of the year in Sao Paulo as Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta finished in sixth and eighth places in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Those results confirm the team’s sixth place in the constructors’ championship.
    P6 Adrian Sutil, VJM04/04
    Tyre strategy: Used soft, new soft, used soft, new medium
     Adrian: “I’m really happy about the result today. It completes a great weekend where everything went to plan. I had a good feeling in all the sessions and the team did a brilliant job to give me such a good car today. We also made the right calls with the strategy because we knew there was a chance to beat Mercedes, and that’s exactly what we did. So I’m very happy with my sixth place – it’s the best way to end the year and it also means that I move up to ninth place in the drivers’ championship, which was my aim.”
    P8 Paul Di Resta, VJM04/02
    Tyre strategy: Used soft, new soft, new medium
     Paul: “My eighth place today is a great result after quite a tough race for me. There was a concern with the gearbox around half way through the race so the team told me to just try and bring the car home. In the final stint it was just a case of managing the gap to Kobayashi behind me and we had enough to do that quite easily in the end. So that’s the end of my first season of Formula 1 and it’s been a great year, especially now we have finished sixth in the championship. It’s well deserved for the entire team and I want to thank everyone for their help and support during this amazing year.”
    Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal 
    “Today’s result is the perfect way to end what has been a tremendous season for Sahara Force India. Adrian and Paul drove brilliant races to add 12 more points to our tally and confirm our sixth place in the championship – our highest finish to date. I’m also very pleased that we could move Adrian up to ninth in the drivers’ standings. As a team we have taken great strides forward this season and now is the time to congratulate everyone who has contributed to that. We head into the winter in good spirits and determined to come back even stronger next year to pick up where we left off.”

  • Kobayashi gets points; Sauber takes 7th place in Constructers’ championship

    Weather: dry, 25°C air, 24-45°C track
    Sau Paulo, 27 Nov 2011: (Sauber Release): The Sauber F1 Team finished the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship seventh in the constructors’ championship. Kamui Kobayashi managed to improve from 16th on the grid to finish ninth in the Brazilian Grand Prix. He scored two points, which meant the team stayed ahead of Toro Rosso by three points. Sergio Pérez, who had started from 17th, had a spin at half distance and finished the race in 13th place. Kobayashi scored points in nine out of the 19 races in his second Formula One season. Pérez, who had to miss two of his rookie season’s races after his accident in Monaco, finished in the points five times. The Sauber F1 Team’s best result of the year remains Kobayashi’s fifth place at the Monaco Grand Prix.
    Kamui Kobayashi: 9th
    Sauber C30-Ferrari (Chassis 01 / Ferrari 056)
    Start on used soft tyres, after 21 laps change to used soft tyres and after 43 laps change to new medium compound tyres
    “The team did a very good job to recover from a really bad qualifying. I had a good start and also a good race pace. We worked a lot on the race pace and I’m happy that I was able to score in the final two races of the season. It was important for us to finish ahead of Toro Rosso and I’m glad we managed to do that. The strategy was good and the car was as well – many thanks to the guys. After we have struggled a bit in the second half of the season, we have a lot to work on over the winter. I think it is good that we will have the same team with the same drivers again, but we want to become stronger.”
    Sergio Pérez: 13th 
    Sauber C30-Ferrari (Chassis 03 / Ferrari 056)
    Start on used soft tyres, after 20 laps change to used soft tyres and after 44 laps change to new medium compound tyres
    “The team’s main target for today was to make sure we finished the season in seventh, and I am very happy that this was achieved, although I couldn’t contribute this time. As a team I think we are all already looking forward to the next season. After all that has happened I am happy with my rookie season. I have learned a lot and with this experience I want to do a good job in 2012. However, my race today wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. The start was fine, but we had opted for wet conditions and the result was that the rear tyres tended to overheat. The car was quite difficult to drive and I’m sorry for the spin at half distance.”
    Peter Sauber, Team Principal:
    “It was an important result today. We were able to move up one position in the constructors’ championship compared to last year, which is good for the morale of the team. Kamui drove a fantastic race, making up positions in the early laps and then driving fast and consistently to take two championship points. Thanks to the whole team at the track, in Hinwil and to our partner Ferrari.”
    Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering:
    “Everything went according to plan today. Both drivers were able to make up positions in the early stages of the race. It was important that Kamui was immediately in front of Sébastien Buemi and Sergio directly behind him and in front of Jaime Alguersuari. This is want we wanted. After that it was a matter of controlling the race. Our strategy was to be ready for some rain, which was predicted but in the end didn’t happen. So for both drivers the tyre choice was soft, soft and medium. As it has been for most of the time this year, our pace was good  in the race. Congratulations to the whole team.”