With the 2014 Formula One season finally kicking off this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix, Sahara Force India driver, Sergio Perez has been speaking about his excitement ahead of the first race.
Perez joined Force India in the off-season and with driving partner, Nico Hulkenberg, alongside him, he will be hoping to build on his 11th place finish from last season.
Q) Sergio, the start of the season is here. Are you looking forward to racing in Melbourne?
A) It’s the first race of the year so I’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time. I hope we can have a great start of the season.
Q) How have you found the new generation of Formula One cars to drive?
A) The new rules are interesting and the cars are quite challenging. There is less downforce now, but there is a lot of torque from the engine so it’s quite a different feeling. You also have to think about managing the fuel load and we know that Melbourne is a circuit with high fuel consumption.
Q) Do you feel busier in the car this year?
A) Yes, there are more things to do in terms of managing the systems on the car so it’s more complicated than last year. The pre-season testing has given us enough time to get to know the new systems so I don’t foresee any issue come the first race.
Q) How would you sum up the pre-season so far?
A) I think we are feeling well prepared going into Melbourne. Testing has had its ups and downs, as always, but we ended the second Bahrain test in a good position. There are still areas we need to improve, but I think we have made a good start and we can build on that.
Q) How are you feeling about your first race weekend with Sahara Force India?
A) It’s always a good feeling to start with a new team. I had a full winter to get to know everyone and I’m feeling ready now. The team is very hungry and I hope we can achieve some great things this year.
