Force India drivers Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta were in high spirits following the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday, with the pair recording the team's first double points finish since Formula 1's visit to Spa-Francorchamps last September.
Sutil, who led the race on numerous occasions with a unique tyre strategy, ultimately claimed seventh after a troublesome late stint on the Super Soft rubber, while team-mate di Resta backed up a strong qualifying result to finish the race in eighth.
"What a fantastic race and a great feeling," Sutil explained after his first race since the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix. "I started on the Medium tyres, a different strategy to most of the cars ahead of me, and I think this was the right decision. The pace was quick and the car felt very good so I was able to keep up with the guys in front of me, who I knew were going to pit early.
"After my second pit stop I was back in the lead once again, so I knew that it was possible to come away with a great result. My final stint on the Super Softs was much more difficult because the tyres started graining and I lost a few places. I was thinking I might need to pit again, but fortunately the tyres came back to me for the final few laps so I could save seventh. This result for the team is a perfect way to start the season and I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to the team once again."
Di Resta, who finished three seconds down the road, was equally pleased with his afternoon, adding:
"Seventh and eighth is a great result and a great way to kick off the season. We’ve shown we have a car that is kind on its tyres and that helped us today by making less stops than some of our rivals. I feel I had a car that could have finished seventh, but I was stuck behind some of the three-stoppers at the start of my second stint.
"There are a lot of positives to take from the race, as well as some things that we can improve to make the car stronger, but we’re in a good position heading to Malaysia."
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Paul di Resta
Adrian Sutil
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  K. Raikkonen | Lotus | 1:30:03.225 |
| 2. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | +12.451 |
| 3. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | +22.346 |
| 4. | F. Massa | Ferrari | +33.577 |
| 5. | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | +45.561 |
| 6. | M. Webber | Red Bull | +46.800 |
| 7. | A. Sutil | Force India | +1:05.068 |
| 8. | P. di Resta | Force India | +1:08.449 |
| 9. | J. Button | McLaren | +1:21.630 |
| 10. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | +1:22.759 |
| Full results | |||
| Adrian Sutil | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| More Adrian Sutil photos | |||
| Paul di Resta | |||
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| More Paul di Resta photos | |||
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