Hockenheim: Sahara Force India had a decent outing at the German Grand Prix as Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh and Sergio Perez 10th in a double points-finish for the team .
After starting ninth on the grid, Hulkenberg had moved up to fifth in the very first lap, following a crash involving Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen.
Eventually the German settled for seventh place and has now scored points in each of the 10 races this season.
Hulkenberg's six and Perez's one point means that Force India have kept the fifth place in the constructors' championship but they have only a narrow two-point lead over McLaren, who are at 96.
"It was a difficult race and different to what we expected, mainly due to the lower temperatures with the track being 20 degrees cooler than on Friday. We were expecting a lot of rear degradation, but after a couple of laps it became clear the fronts were the limiting tyres, and that changed the game," Hulkenberg said after the race.
"I also had to overcome some engine issues in the middle of the race because there were some hesitations and it was not driving smoothly. It was a good recovery by the team to solve the issue," the German added.
Sergio Perez said he struggled with the balance for most of the day.
"It was a very strange race, the track changed a lot compared to Friday and it was the front tyres that were suffering from degradation and not the rears. Together with the much lower temperatures, it made the car very difficult to drive. These things considered, to come away with a point was a good result in the end," the Mexican said.
Deputy Team Principal Robert Fernley said," Considering the challenges we faced today, we can?t be disappointed to come away with seven points. It keeps us in fifth place in the standings and demonstrates once again that we can score good points even on days when both drivers are struggling with the balance."
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