Sahara Force India looks ahead to the third round of the 2012 season in Shanghai, China. To download the full PDF preview or the media schedule for the weekend, please click on the links below.

Vijay’s Vision

After two races the 2012 season appears to have all the ingredients needed to serve up a spectacular year of racing. Already the fans have enjoyed two thrilling races and the intensity of the competition across the grid is sure to capture everybody’s attention.

I said last year that the competition in the midfield was close, but this year it seems to be even more so with the majority of the grid capable of fighting for points. It’s a good situation for Formula One, but it also means points are harder to come by. It’s encouraging that we have scored points in both races and that will be our aim once again in China.

I have to congratulate Paul and Nico on their excellent drives in Malaysia. They are only in their second full seasons of Formula One, but they both showed their maturity in the difficult conditions. At times Paul was one of the fastest cars on the circuit, excelling in the conditions, and it’s clear that we can expect another strong season from him. I was also delighted to see Nico pick up his first points with us after such a strong showing.

In terms of car development, the factory at Silverstone continues to work at full capacity to improve our performance. The first two races have given us a great deal of information to work with and we will put it to good use in the coming races.

Dr. Vijay Mallya

Paul on Shanghai
Following points finishes in the first couple of races, Paul Di Resta sets his sights on more of the same in Shanghai this weekend.

Paul, you must be pretty happy with your start to the season…
I think the whole team is pleased to have nine points on the board after two races and it was important that we picked up some good points on such an unpredictable day in Malaysia. We’ve seen how close all the teams are this year and getting points isn’t easy, so it feels good to start as we mean to continue.

Do you enjoy visiting China and experiencing the different culture?
China is a great place and Shanghai is a city I enjoy visiting. It’s such a big place, there is a lot to see and I enjoy it even more each time I go there.

Tell us about the track…
It has some unusual features. Turn one is very long and feels like it goes on forever. The key to getting it right is how much entry speed you can carry into the corner. You also have to look out for one of the biggest bumps of the year at the corner entry, which makes it difficult.

And what about the overtaking opportunities?
The best chance is turn one or into the very tight hairpin of turn 14, which widens on the entry and makes it difficult to defend. We also saw the effectiveness of DRS last year, which helped produce some good racing and it should be the same this year.

Nico on Shanghai
Nico Hulkenberg looks ahead to racing in Shanghai following his points finish in Malaysia.

Nico, after the disappointment of Melbourne, you finally got some racing miles under your belt in Sepang…
Yes, I’m happy with the race we had in Malaysia, which was basically the first proper race I have done since the end of 2010. It wasn’t an easy race and I was never in any clean air, but it was good to pick up a couple of points – my first points for the team.

Did you learn much about the car given that the conditions were so changeable in Sepang?
You always learn something and a race distance is always valuable for your knowledge of the car, even racing in the wet. The most difficult part of the race was just after the restart when I struggled for balance on the wets and intermediates, but when I switched to slicks the performance was pretty good.

Does the team have a better idea of the pecking order yet?
We’re only at the start of the season – we’ve only had two race weekends, so we still need to wait and see. Because the midfield is so compact nobody can afford to relax. We all need to push hard to improve performance and with 18 races still to go there’s plenty of time to do that.

What are your thoughts ahead of this weekend’s race in China?
It’s not my favourite race of the year, but they’ve done a good job to build a really impressive facility and it’s a fun track to drive. It’s difficult to predict how well we will do there, but given how close the grid is at the moment I think it should be a good show for everyone who is watching.

Stefano Domenicali on Tuesday said he can imagine Fernando Alonso working alongside F1′s new double world champion Sebastian Vettel.
“Would Alonso accept it? I think so, I think it could work. Fernando’s strength is that he is not afraid of anyone, a force that comes from his maturity,” the Italian told La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

But it’s not a minor detail that Vettel is contracted to Red Bull until 2014, and tipped to extend his stay for a further two years.

For Ferrari team boss Domenicali, the seat to fill is currently occupied by Felipe Massa, whose deal ends next season.

“He will do everything to prove what he has to Ferrari, and the other drivers with contracts expiring will want to prove that they are ready to come,” he said. “Among those, probably, is Hamilton.

“But it’s early,” said Domenicali, referring to McLaren’s 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose deal expires in unison with Massa’s next season.

“Felipe had a good weekend (at Suzuka), until the contact with Hamilton. It was a shame it happened in a very positive weekend for him,” he added.

Ferrari’s first priority is to have a better car for 2012, and Domenicali revealed that only minor “details” of the current Italia 150 car will be saved.

“We will change everything; even the steering wheel,” he said.

Pedro de la Rosa’s last-minute Sauber race drive in Canada raised more than one set of eyebrows.
The team’s official reserve driver Esteban Gutierrez was in Mexico when his countryman Sergio Perez reported ill in Montreal, disapprovingly revealing that he followed the saga of de la Rosa’s move from McLaren on Twitter.

But another driver wondering why he wasn’t given the call was Nico Hulkenberg, the highly rated Force India reserve who lost his Williams seat for 2011 to Pastor Maldonado.

“Did Herr Sauber not have my phone number?” the German is quoted as saying by Swiss newspaper Blick.

Auto Motor und Sport, however, claims that Hulkenberg is too tall for the C30 cockpit, while de la Rosa was an obvious choice because Sauber still has his seat mould.

Agrees Hulkenberg: “You don’t just jump into a formula one car these days and drive it.”

Peter Sauber confirmed: “He (Hulkenberg) is too tall for our car. He is also employed by our direct competition. Between us and Pedro’s McLaren, on the other hand, there is no conflict of interest.”

And de la Rosa, 40, is familiar with Sauber, having raced the C30′s predecessor for much of 2010.

“It’s a totally different car, but it speaks a similar language,” agreed Sauber.

Even so, the Perez substitution came as a complete surprise to de la Rosa.

“I was just finishing lunch with ten minutes until practice and they told me to get in the car,” he revealed to El Pais newspaper.

“I ran to get my gear and helmet and got in the car and they tried to adjust my seat. They also tried to move the pedals but couldn’t.

“I feel bad for Sergio but this is a gift that I will enjoy,” he insisted.

Boss Sauber admitted that he was grateful Perez alerted the team about his sickness rather than risk his safety by trying to drive through it.

“It’s one thing to train, exercise or drive a kart and quite another to drive in formula one,” said Perez’s assistant Sallares Jaume.

“It shows his maturity. It’s not just about him but also about the danger of injuring someone else,” he added.

Flavio Briatore taps Mark Webber as a world champion 2010th The former Renault team boss believes that the Australian’s performance during the season has increased and can hold both Sebastian Vettel, as well as both McLaren and Ferrari at bay. Briatore is still the manager of the Red Bull pilots.

“Watch out! Mark is on the way to the title. His performance in Hungary was just phenomenal,” Briatore is quoted by the ‘Gazzetta dello Sport’. “But I do not place on Webber, because he is one of my drivers. I note this fact, what has everyone seen at home on television.”
“Mark has the makings of great heroic deeds. He now has a maturity and an inner peace achieved, he can really go far. In Hungary, he was the first to have realized that he can take the risk with the soft tire compound three-quarters of the to deny Rennes. That was the key to victory, but it has also shown that he is using his brain, in contrast to many other “

Ferrari driver, Fernando Alonso welcomes the extension of the contract of Felipe Massa and comments on the development work in Maranello

Since Wednesday is clear: Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will take over the next two seasons with Ferrari at the wheel. The tradition of Maranello team extended the contract of Massa by a further two years until 2012, making the contracts, the regular drivers now have the same maturity. Alonso welcomes this decision and is happy for Massa.

“I am very satisfied,” Alonso is quoted by ‘Ticionline’. “The same group is still working so for two more years together. Stability is very important to the success of a team. I am very familiar with Felipe. We have much respect for each other and create a good harmony. And such a one also needs if one is long journey together. ”
It is also important that the development during the season, not stagnant. In relation to Ferrari, however, could be no question of such a scenario, said the Spanish driver. “It is not true that the development has stalled. The distance to Red Bull is still a few tenths. We have improved, but even they have become faster.”
“The truth is, however, that we have not made progress in Barcelona, as we had planned. The others, however good progress come,” Alonso is before the Canadian Grand Prix on record. As team boss Stefano Domenicali admits that Ferrari could have burned “specially modified in view of the new F-shaft technology something.

Alonso would not miss this development: “It was a good thing to address this matter,” says the 28-year-old. “We were so far not yet in a position to exploit the full effectiveness of this system. Other teams also seem to have trouble with it. Who the F-shaft had been from the beginning, however, retains its advantage.”

(TotalMotorsports)