Japanese Grand Prix: Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez Finish 8th and 10th Respectively
With just four races to go in the 2015 season, it will be a keen tussle between Force India and McLaren for the fifth spot in the constructors' championship.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: October 05, 2014 04:00 PM IST
Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez kept their nerves under treacherous conditions to finish eighth and 10th in the rain-hit Japanese Grand Prix as Sahara Force India maintained its fifth position in the championship, here on Sunday.
Torrential rains lashed the circuit and the race was red-flagged due to poor conditions as daylight reduced with every lap.
Both the Force India drivers had started outside the top-10 on the grid but negotiated the conditions well to earn the side five crucial points.
Since Jenson Button earned 10 points with his fifth-place finish, Force India's lead over nearest rival McLaren is reduced now to just one point at 122.
With just four races to go in the 2015 season, it will be a keen tussle between Force India and McLaren for the fifth spot in the constructors' championship.
Hulkenberg said the conditions were very challenging out there.
"Visibility was pretty poor, even if you were in the first half of the pack. It was probably the same for everyone because it's always a challenge in the wet. When the final safety car came out we decided to pit again as I had already been out on those tyres for a long time and I needed new rubber to finish the race.
"I am happy to get points after a difficult Saturday; we made up for it today. Suzuka is a difficult track to race on in the wet because there are lots of places where you can aquaplane and have a moment. I didn't see what happened in the accident that ended the race, but I hope Jules is OK," the German said.
Perez said he could not even see the car ahead of him at the start of the race.
"To begin with, it was just a race to avoid aquaplaning and trying to keep the car on the track because the visibility was very poor. Our strategy was working quite well, but I think we were unlucky to make our final stop, which dropped me down a couple of positions. Like everybody my thoughts are with Jules and I hope we hear some good news soon."
Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal said,"Our thoughts at the moment are with Jules Bianchi and we hope to hear positive news regarding his condition. It was a very dramatic race with action going on throughout the pack as the track dried initially before the rain returned."
"We took a risk at the end to pit both cars as the safety car came out, which would have protected us in the event of a restart. Both drivers drove very maturely and scored points, but everything has been overshadowed by the incident that brought the race to a premature end. Jules and everybody at Marussia are firmly in our thoughts at the moment."