Force India aiming to break records in new season
The 2015 Formula One season was yet another record breaking year for drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez, as the pair drove the team up the leaderboard into a best ever fifth placed finish.
Ending the season with a flurry of point finishes, the constructors finished just 51 points behind racing giants Red Bull-Renault.
As drivers prepare for the start of the 2016 campaign in less than two weeks time, the German Hulkenberg reflected on his previous calendar year.
“From a team perspective, we had our best year [last year],” he said. “The updates we brought to the car worked well and there were some great days.
“For me personally, it was a year in which I learnt a lot. I can honestly say it was not a season in which everything went to plan, but I’ve come out of it as a better driver.
“And of course, 2015 is the year in which I won Le Mans, which is as special a memory as you can get in this sport.”
Drivers and constructors take to Australia for the start of the 2016 F1 season on Sunday 20th March.
A repeat of last year’s double points finish would be a positive start for Force India, yet Hulkenberg says he is aiming for more records to be broken this time around.
Asked what he hopes to achieve this year, he said: “A lot of success, hopefully.
“We seemed to find the sweet spot with the car at the end of last year and we want to maintain this form in 2016.
“The car is similar; the team hasn’t changed and I am ready for the challenge.
“I want to stand here in November, look back at the season and be happy because it has been my best season ever in Formula One. And if I can get a few podiums along the way, that’s even better.”
It is the third year running that Hulkenberg will line up alongside his Mexican teammate Perez for Force India, representing the longest partnership in the constructor’s history.
The 28-year-old will be competing in his fifth season for Force India and said it was ‘very important’ to build up a stable environment.
“Too often people look at the surface – the car, the drivers – without looking at the structures behind,” he said. “When you work with people you know well, from the crew to the management, you’re at ease and can concentrate on getting the best out of yourself and the car.
“I am lucky to be in a very cool team with some of the best people in the sport. Everyone is hungry to keep progressing and I think we can do that again this year.”
