Force India will benefit from the delayed start to the F1 2011 World Championship campaign following the cancellation of Bahrain as it will allow the team to play catch-up.
Force India F1 was one of the only four teams to attend the opening pre-season group test in Valencia early last month still with its 2010-spec car VJM03, and as such the Silverstone-based squad has had less track time to get the VJM04 race-ready than have many of its adversaries. Nor, indeed, has the Mercedes-powered contender shown any great glimpses of raw speed since it made its bow at Jerez – meaning the extra preparation time is welcomed, Sutil concedes.
“As we have been a bit behind, we are now sure to get our car in good shape for Melbourne,” the German told the official F1 website. “If it were only us being given two extra weeks then it could probably make a difference [to the pecking order], but these two weeks are the same for all, so everybody will continue to develop.”
“Paul is a very experienced driver with four years of DTM under his belt. He is the reigning DTM Champion and has had one year as the test driver with Force India, so you can be sure that he will do his share of development work. On the other hand, I definitely feel experienced enough after four years with the team to play a lead role.”
On that topic, Sutil confessed that as a ‘small’ team, ‘it is difficult’ for Force India to keep pace with the rate of upgrades rolled out during the course of the campaign by the sport’s biggest-hitters – and also denied that with an F1 rookie alongside him this season in the shape of Paul di Resta, the bulk of development work will fall to him.
“With Mercedes, we have a first-class partner and my belief is that their engine and KERS are the best on the grid for the time being,” he agreed. “In this respect, we are well-positioned, but the car itself – the aero package – is what really counts. If you don’t have enough downforce, even the best and strongest engine will not help to get you on the sunny side of results.
“We will have to wait and see how the tyres behave in races and how they will develop over the season. At the end of the day, the situation is the same for all of us, so that means there’s equal opportunity for each and every driver on the grid. The one thing that is obviously clear is that the tyres will play a major part in the outcome of this year’s championship; who understands and uses them in the best possible way will land a place at the front of the standings.
“The difference between the tyres is still enormous, and it will have to be seen if two pit-stops will do [per grand prix]. The fact is that we have no data whatsoever on their behaviour in hot conditions because of the cancellation of the Bahrain test, so it will be very interesting to see what Pirelli have up their sleeves for us when it is really hot...”
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