Hulkenberg fetches four points for Force India

Greater Noida, Oct 28, 2012, DHNS:,

Oct 28 2012, 22:59 ist
updated: Oct 28 2012, 22:59 ist

Sahara Force India’s quest to go past Sauber on the constructors’ championship table became more realistic after Nico Hulkenberg fetched them four points in the second edition of the Indian Grand Prix.

At the Buddh International Circuit on a warm Sunday, Hulkenberg, who finished twelfth in qualifying, was in stellar touch as he worked his way past a few drivers to finish eighth.

“My aim was to finish in the points and we did that,” the German driver said. “The other cars were quick as well. I am very happy with the eighth place. It was a smooth weekend and we got the maximum out of it. It was a good race and the overtaking.

“The DRS (Drag Reduction System) did most of the job while overtaking (Sergio Perez). I got a good exit off turn three. Tyre degradation was to expectation. Going into the race, we were confident of achieving a one-stop and we were on target. I was able to manage the tyres and speed. We thought we will keep going as long as it is good,” he explained.

Paul di Resta too climbed up four places to twelfth but he was unlucky to miss out on points that would have helped the Indian side. Force India have 93 points with three races to go, while Sauber, who finished with no points on the day as Perez retired and Kamui Kobayashi finished fourteenth, have 116.

Earlier, Hulkenberg, who is tipped to move to Sauber next season, showed his potential future team that he was ready for the challenge after his heart-stopping tussle against the Mexican Perez. Fighting for the eighth spot, both the drivers went at it for a few laps before the German got close to getting past Perez on the DRS. He backed out as he had no line to recover from but in the next lap, he made no such mistake.

Choosing the outside line, Hulkenberg went past Perez and then closed the lane from the inside to jump ahead. He lost the spot a couple of times to the others but he managed to find enough grip and pace towards the end to regain it. Meanwhile, Narain Karthikeyan could not replicate his last year’s performance (17th) and finished 21st.