- Force India
Force India should be confident - Hulkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg says Force India has good reasons to be confident ahead of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.
Force India had a solid pre-season testing programme and benefits from running the Mercedes engine, which proved to be the most reliable over the three tests. Hulkenberg said there is no way of knowing how the weekend will go, but believes his team should have high expectations.
"I'm not nervous, quite relaxed in general," he said. "I think we can be fairly confident, winter testing has gone fairly smoothly for us compared to other teams. From that point of view we are as well prepared as we can [be]. It's still going to be a big challenge this weekend and it can hold a lot of surprises. We can talk a lot about that in theory, but we just have to get going, start the season and see what happens."
Force India did not show the sort of one-lap pace Mercedes and Williams managed during testing in Bahrain, but Hulkenberg is confident in the car.
"I didn't get one proper go on a one-lap attempt, but I think the car felt fairly okay for that and also in terms of balance. I think there is no big issue, but there are some fast cars out there and where we fit in I'm not quite sure."
The Mercedes-powered cars were among the most reliable in testing, but Hulkenberg said there are no guarantees for race day.
"It's hard to say. Winter testing was pretty solid, especially the second Bahrain test, we were pretty strong from that point of view. That doesn't mean we are immune to it and nothing will happen in the next couple of days."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
