Indian Motorsport

Adrian Sutil (car 20, VJM02/03):
16th: 1:32:04.350 (+ 1 lap)

Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21, VJM02/01):
15th: 1:32:01.893 (+ 1 lap)

26 April 2009 - The Force India Formula One Team has achieved yet another solid double finish in today's Bahrain Grand Prix. Giancarlo Fisichella brought his VJM02 home in 15th position, with Adrian Sutil under three seconds behind in 16th following a physically challenging race that saw both cars running firmly in the competitive midfield.

Giancarlo gained four places from his starting position on the first lap and had graduated to 12th by his first pit stop on lap 15. The Italian then moved up to 10th and by the midpoint of the race was racing with Webber, Kovalainen and Piquet. Piquet eventually squeezed past on lap 31, but Giancarlo was able to maintain 11th until his second stop on lap 37. He however had increasing discomfort in the closing stages of the race with his seat and he finished the race 15th.

Adrian had a strong race from 19th on the grid. He moved up to 14th in the opening laps and was 11th by his late first stop thanks to an aggressive strategy. A long middle stint allowed Adrian to regain 11th and when he pitted for the final stop on lap 41 he kept ahead of Buemi to finish 16th.

(L to R): Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Force India F1 VJM02; Nelson Piquet Jr. (BRA) Renault R29
and Nick Heidfeld (GER) BMW Sauber F1.09 battle for position. Formula One World Championship, Rd 4, Bahrain Grand Prix, Race Day, Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain, Sunday 26 April 2009.

Adrian Sutil (car 20)
'It was a long race, very tough, and the temperatures were very high. Everything was on the limit, the car and myself, but actually it was a very consistent race. At the start of the race I lost three positions in the first lap as Nakajima drove into my car. It was a shame but it was a good race from that point with good pit stops and another finish that keeps the team's good finishing record so far this year. The new upgrades have put us firmly back in the midfield and we can look forward to Barcelona now where we have some more upgrades coming.'

Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21)
'It was a really tough race here today. The temperatures were the hottest we've had this year and I was really in some pain in the closing stages as my seat was rubbing against my right hip. By the end it was very badly bruised. All the same I think the first part of the race was very strong and I could race with Webber and Kovalainen and then Piquet. In the final laps Massa got past and there was a little contact. I think 15th isn't too bad - we are racing again and I think we can be pleased the overall weekend performance.'

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal
'The team has made some very promising progress this weekend. We've introduced a major new aero package that helped move us forward and we raced fairly and squarely in the midfield. Both drivers yet again had very solid races, which shows we have a good foundation for future updates. We can now look forward to Spain and the start of the European season to continue this good form.'

** END **