Sergio Perez expressed positivity over Force India’s prospects heading into 2018 but is optimistic that a “new car” for the Australian Grand Prix will boost its chances
Force India has finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship across the past two years, behind only Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, but has encountered a so-so pre-season period so far
Perez finished a subdued 10th on the timesheets on Tuesday, having disrupted his run plan when he went off, but is hopeful Force India can still be firmly in the mix when the season commences
When asked whether he felt the VJM11 was a step forward from its predecessor, Perez replied: “Not so far at the moment.
“Hopefully for Melbourne we will bring a new car which apparently means we can do a good step.
“It is looking very tight, not only the midfield pack but when you see the gap to the front it doesn’t look as big as last year.
“Obviously it is so difficult to see where you are because of the level of fuels, the temperatures, and compounds and so on. I am excited for this year as I think it is going to be very interesting.”
When it was suggested to Perez that he was exuding a not-so-enthusiastic demeanour, he said: “I’m surprised you can say that but I am happy with my day as we’ve made a good improvement and have done a good understanding with the car.
“I tend to think there are reasons to be optimistic as we’ve done good steps in terms of balance and obviously this is a very different character of conditions to what we will have in Melbourne.
“It is too early to be disappointed or happy, I think we have to keep our heads down and keep working.”
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