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Journalism of Courage
None of the two Sahara Force India drivers could make the top-10 as Paul di Resta qualified 14th on the grid and Nico Hulkenberg 16th for tomorrow8217;s Malaysian Grand Prix,here today.
Resta8217;s best lap time of 1:37.877 and Hulkenberg8217;s 1:37.890,under hot weather conditions,could not get them into Q3,and scoring points would be difficult for the side.
McLaren had a one-two finish on the grid,led by Lewis Hamilton,who got pole position by clocking the fastest lap in 1m 36.219,followed by teammate Jenson Button 1:36.368.
Mercedes8217; Michael Schumacher was third 1:36.391 and behind him was Red Bull8217;s Mark Webber 1:36.461.
Comeback man Kimi Raikkonen 1:36.461 was fifth for Lotus,followed by Red Bull8217;s defending champion 1:36.634.
Force India drivers put up a brave face despite the fact that things have become difficult for them.
8220;We definitely improved the car between final practice and qualifying. My laps in Q2 were good and I got sectors one and two right,but I maybe have lost out in the final sector,which I never really maximised,8221; Resta said
8220;I think P14 is a reasonable place to start and hopefully our race pace and tyre management will pay off tomorrow. The other variable is the weather because there is always a high risk of showers late in the afternoon,8221; the Scot said.
Rookie Hulkenberg said he got what was best possible out of the car and that it will be a challenging day for him tomorrow.
8220;To be honest,though,I don8217;t think there was any more to come because I pretty much got the maximum from the car. Now it8217;s all about racing well and using the strategy to try and come away with a result.
8220;Having already missed most of the race last weekend in Melbourne,it almost feels like the first race of my season,so hopefully,I can go the distance and have a strong performance. Tyre degradation will be a key factor in the race and the chance of rain could also mix things up,8221; the German said.
