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Force India confident of firing in Chinese Grand Prix

By Staff

New Delhi, Oct 17 (UNI) The Force India Formula One Team makes the short hop over the East China Sea from the environs of Mount Fuji, Japan, to the heart of Shanghai, China, for the penultimate round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship, the Chinese Grand Prix.

The event, which takes place from October 17-19, is being held at the ultra-modern Shanghai International Circuit, a track designed by F1 circuit designer du jour, Hermann Tilke, on an area of reclaimed marshland some 40km from the centre of China's most densely populated city.

China made its F1 debut in 2004, and quickly impressed with its generous facilities, state of the art equipment and challenging circuit lay out. The 5.4km circuit comprises a long pit straight into a tight hairpin, with seven left and seven right hand turns in total. From the air it resembles the Chinese character for 'high' or 'above'- Shang.

The Force India Formula One Team will go to this event with renewed confidence following an improved weekend performance at the Japanese Grand Prix just days ago. Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella both fought their way through the field and, despite both retiring in separate incidents, demonstrated the step forward in performance the team has taken since the Singapore Grand Prix.

Formula One driver, Sutil, said ''The Shanghai circuit is a very interesting one for the drivers. It's a very modern lay-out so very wide with big run off areas but, like Istanbul Park in Turkey, there are some tricky corners that you need to concentrate through.

The actual city is fantastic too, so it's an event I really enjoy.'' ''Last year the race was not so good for us as we just got caught out in the weather conditions, but at least I have one Chinese race under my belt now and we can build on our performance in Japan. We were running in 10th position and I felt confident I could have got higher, but then I had the puncture,'' he said.

''I'm really looking forward to China as I now really just want to have a clean race. We've been so unlucky in the last two races and a good result would really lift everyone,'' he added.

Another driver, Giancarlo Fisichella, said ''Shanghai is a great circuit and I have had some good results there. I've competed in every race since it came onto the calendar in 2004 and actually finished in all of them, so I will want to keep up this record.

My best result was a podium in 2006 and in 2005 the points I got from 4th position secured Renault the manufacturers' title, so I've got good memories there.'' ''I think now we have to keep pushing until the end of the year. I've gone too long without points now and I don't want to get to the end of the year without any on the board. It would just mean so much to everyone at the track and at the factory,'' he added.

UNI CS AB NS1543

Story first published: Thursday, August 24, 2017, 16:32 [IST]
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