German GP: Force India preview

Paul, Silverstone was a mix of highs and lows. What was your final verdict on Sunday night?

The important thing is that we came away with more points, which is always positive. It was a good recovery given where we started and keeps up our momentum in the championship as it’s my seventh points finish of the season. You always think about how things might have been different, but we’ve come away feeling relatively satisfied with the outcome.

It’s a quick turnaround for Germany. What are your expectations?

It’s a very different track and not so demanding on the tyres compared to Silverstone. We should be competitive and if we can maximise all three days we will be in good shape. I’ve only raced at the Nurburgring once in Formula One a couple of years ago and I got hit going into the first corner so it would be good to put things right this weekend.

Do you enjoy the track?

I know the place well from my DTM days, although we always used to race on the shorter version. The weather is always a factor there because of the location and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some rain at some point. The track is a mix of everything, but it’s important to have good mechanical grip to perform well in the slower sections at the start and end of the lap.

Adrian Sutil on Germany

Adrian, the last race in Silverstone was a good one. Sum up your feelings…

Seventh is a good result and we can be happy with it, even though it is disappointing to go from third to seventh so close to the end of the race. Unfortunately, my rivals had a big advantage with fresher tyres and were able to overtake me quite easily in the final laps, but I’ll take the points.

This result extends your point-scoring streak to three races in a row. Have you turned a page in your season?

It is good to reap the rewards of the good work we have been doing all season. It was a bit frustrating at the start of the year when we had very good pace and something always seemed to happen to me, but now we have been gaining points more consistently.

It’s the home Grand Prix for you next. What are your emotions ahead of the weekend?

Racing in your home country is always special, even more so at a historical circuit like the Nurburgring. I spent a lot of time racing there during my early years, but only three times in Formula One. It’s a track that requires a lot of different skills from the driver, with a technical first sector, a flowing middle part and a fast end to the lap. The layout can catch you out sometimes, especially on some kerbs – such as the final chicane.