Force India’s Sergio Perez heads to the season finale in Abu Dhabi unconstrained as the team has already secured its fourth place in the Constructors’ standings.
The Silverstone-based outfit put itself out of its rivals’ reach in Mexico, and will finish the season best of the rest behind F1’s front-runners for the second year running.
It’s not known yet if Perez and team Esteban Ocon will be free to race around Yas Marina, but the Mexican is determined to give it his all behind the wheel of his pink VJM10 for the very last time.
“I enjoy driving at Yas Marina,” says Perez.
“It’s a track where we’ve been strong for the last few years and I would love to end the year on a high with a strong result.
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“The final race is always a strange feeling because it’s your last opportunity to drive the VJM10 and you don’t know what next year will bring.
“We don’t have any pressure because fourth place in the championship is confirmed so I can focus on simply enjoying the experience and getting the best result possible.”
The venue itself is popular among F1’s drivers, and like his colleagues, Perez is a fan of the Yas Marina circuit.
“There are some interesting corner combinations at Yas Marina and it’s a track that is hard on braking, with a lot of emphasis on traction.
“There are overtaking opportunities at the end of the long straights so you often find yourself either attacking or defending, especially towards the end of the race.”
Looking back at the 2017 campaign, the 27-year-old feels Force India achieved its goals and emade the most of its potential.
“As a team we can be satisfied with our season. Finishing fourth is the best we could achieve and, on a personal level, finishing just behind the top six drivers makes me feel proud.
“We just need to make sure we deliver this weekend and end the season well.”
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