MALL Y A: POINTS A TARGET FORCE INDIA
Force India’s new car will be a disappointment if it is not challenging for points in every race this season, according to team head Vijay Mallya.
The Silverstone-based squad has earned itself a reputation for punching above its weight in recent years, having finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship in both 2016 and 2017, regularly beating teams with much larger budgets and resources.
The new car is again an evolution of what the team had last season. It continues with the ‘trident’ style nose design, and will run current spec Mercedes power units.
Force India’s chief operating officer Andrew Green said that while the new car looks broadly like the 2017 version, heavy upgrades would be made before Australia.
“The DNA of the car is still very much that of last year’s car. We took the decision, quite a while ago, that the launch specification of the 2018 car would be based around our understanding of the 2017 car, but with all new structures required by the regulations in place,” said Green.
“It is a starting point, a good reference from which to introduce changes quite quickly; it gives our aerodynamics department more time to develop a car for the first race in Australia, rather than having to release parts early for testing.”
Team owner Vijay Mallya said: “I see no reason why we cannot consolidate our position and improve. Yes, F1 is a very tough and competitive environment, but we are an established team with continuity in all areas of the company.
“We don’t take anything for granted, but we will be disappointed if we are not fighting for points at every race this year.”