Formula One News

Formula One News » Force India confident – but not sitting back Posted on 08/09/2010

Force India heads to the Italian Grand Prix looking to consolidate the form it showed at Spa-Francorchamps, where it secured its third double points finish of the 2010 season, with team principal Vijay Mallya shaking off some of his pre-Belgium caution to predict similar results at several of the races that remain to be run.

The Indian had suggested that there would be no repeat of Giancarlo Fisichella’s pole and second place finish from the 2008 Belgian race and, while neither Adrian Sutil or Tonio Liuzzi was able to emulate the Italian veteran, eaming fifth and tenth respectively showed the VJM03 had clearly in herited some ofs prdecessor’s DNA.

“Yet again Spa was a good track for us, ultimately yielding a double points finish for Adrian and Tonio, and these points were crucial for us in the constructors’ championship, moving us 18 points clear of Williams for sixth.

“It also showed that we’re back in business for the second part of the season. The pace and the handling were both encouraging and, with similar configuration tracks coming up in Monza, Japan and Brazil, we’re hoping that this performance can be replicated.

Of course, we know that the on-track fights will intensify, and it’s not going to be easy to consolidate our position, but we feel the momentum is with us now. Adrian and Tonio both raced very well [at Spa], and we’ve been given a real boost by the double points, which we needed after a couple of frustrating weekends before the summer break.”

Despite morale receiving a vital boost ahead of the final six rounds of the season, Mallya insisted that Force India wasn’t taking anything for granted at Monza – where Sutil qualified on the front row and finished fourth in 2009 – this weekend

“We’re not sitting back based on this performance – we’ve been doing a lot of work back at the factory on the blown diffuser, and conducted a successful aero test last week to develop further,” he continued, “We will also use a low downforce package to suit the top speeds we reach in Monza, which is a further refinement of the Spa package.

“We’re cautiously optimistic – and quietly confident. If it all comes together, I would hope we could show a similar level of performance and results to Spa, but there are so many varying factors that you just can’t take anything for granted at this stage in the season.”

Sutil also admitted to looking forward to returning to Monza, which provided him with his best result in F1 twelve montha go, but accepted that, with the VJM03 being more of an all-rounder than its forebear, things were likely to be tougher in Italy.

“Based on the speed and handling of the car in Spa, I’m now really looking forward to Monza,” the German noted, “We don’t have the top speed advantage we had last year, so it’s going to be another close weekend, but we do know that we are amongst the quickest and that gives us a big chance to be in Q3 and then get into the points.

“I got a great finish there last year, and to get that again would be amazing. Of course, there’s a huge championship battle going on ahead of us, so getting towards the front isn’t going to be easy, but I’m confident. The team has got its momentum back after the double points finish in Spa and we’re all going to Italy very optimistic.

“Belgium was a great race weeked for us and something we really needed to take us into the second part of the season. It started well in practice, with the car very easy to drive and responding well to changes. It felt quite easy to go out and set quick times so, right from the start, I believed we were in for a shot of a good finish. Qualifying then went well, we got the weather calls almost exactly right and got back into the top ten for the first time in a few races, which we really needed to do.

“It was a pretty exciting race after that and we were always towards the front of the field. Fifth was pretty much the maximum we could do and I was delighted.”

Team-mate Liuzzi, of course, will be racing on home soil this weekend, but admitted that he hoped being awarded the final point of the afternoon in Belgium signalled a change in fortune for the final few races.

“I was really pleased to get that final point in Belgium – but I had to work harder for that one point than almost any other I can remember in my F1 career,” he conceded, “It was a really crazy race with the rain and then the battles with the other drivers, but I really enjoyed the extra challenge of fighting back through the field. It was very satisfying after a tough weekend.

“We had some issues during practice but, as a team, we worked together and found a solution just before qualifying. The team did such a good job to work night and day to give me the best possible car they could and, ultimately, I believe we could have finished even higher as I got hit by another car early on and damaged my wing. Then [Sebastian] Vettel ran into me in the last part of the race…

“Overall though, I enjoyed the challenge and the extra pressure mentally, especially when the difference between getting it right and wrong was so small. Now it is my home race, and the same one where I made my Force India race debut last year. I tried to build into the weekend and gradually improve. Then in qualifying I got into P7, which was such a fantastic feeling. Unfortunately, in the race, I had a mechanical problem when I was running in the top six – but I really felt that I had done the maximum I could do.”

Test and reserve driver Paul di Resta will take Sutil’s place for the first of Friday’s two 90-minute practice sessions.

http://www.f1.co.uk/force-india/

http://www.f1.co.uk/adrian-sutil/

http://www.f1.co.uk/vitantonio-liuzzi/

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