Force India begin their fourth season in F1 next weekend in Australia, and their team principal, Dr Vijay Mallya, believes that they should be able to build on a successful 2010.
“2010 was an exceptional year for the team, 68 points overall, seventh in the championship with only teams who had previously won world titles ahead of us, which demonstrated we are still on target to achieve our goals,” said Vijay Mallya. “And this year there is even more to be optimistic about.”
“We have race drivers who are hungry to take the next steps in their careers, whether that be points, podiums or wins,” he said.
“Paul proved his mettle in DTM and for the team last year, making valuable contribution to the development of the VJM04 with his simulation work. Nico (Hülkenberg) joins as test and reserve driver having taken pole position in Brazil in his rookie season in 2010 and we are glad to start our long-term relationship together.
“Adrian scored 47 points for the team last year and finished just outside the top ten. He is one of the most consistent young drivers and we are very pleased that he is with us for a fifth consecutive race season.” concludes Vijay Mallya.
Force India driver Adrian Sutil said he is eyeing a top 10 finish for himself and a top six finish for the team in the upcoming Formula One season which begins in Melbourne on March 27.
"We had a good season last year. I want to improve myself. Individually, I would like to finish in the top 10 and as a team at least in the sixth position. It's not easy but what is easy in life," he told reporters on the sidelines of an event on Saturday, 19th March, when they were in Mumbai, India.
"Last year we tried our best to end in the sixth position, but missed out by just one point. We were unlucky of course. We had a strong beginning but towards the end began to have problems. This year we want to be more consistent," added the German, who is into his fifth season with the Silverstone-based Force India outfit.
"We had a new system in the car and that made a difference also. We had new tyres as well. The general baseline is good. We don't have too much general under fuel or over fuel problems. We need to concentrate on the downforce area. We need to work on it a little bit," he said.
"We have a partnership with McLaren and engines from Mercedes. That's a good combination," he added.
Paul di Resta embarks on his first season in Formula 1 next weekend, two weeks later than he was expecting, thanks to the cancellation of the Bahrain race.
“I am very excited [about Australia] obviously, but it is a strange feeling as the first race was cancelled and everything was prepared for that,” the Scot explained. “But the last few weeks have been pretty seamless and I am fully prepared for the race in Australia. I enjoyed the track last year and Melbourne is a great city.
As for his expectation in the opening race, the 24-year-old is keeping his cards close to his chest: “I am open minded and will be concentrating on performance, getting the best out of the car on the Friday and Saturday to see what areas we need to improve as a team for the race. As for my personal expectations I am going to be realistic and gauge how it goes over the weekend and focus on the job in hand.”
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