Monday 29 September 2014

Q&A with Sahara Force India Team principal and managing director Dr Vijay Mallya ahead of this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix

thumbnail
(Sahara Force India Formula One Team)

The Sahara Force India Formula One Team have had a fantastic 2014 season which has seen them compete against and beat team's that have greater financial resources at their disposal. The Silverstone based outfit have invested well this season and their on track results show this. As part of the team's Japanese Grand Prix preview team principal and managing director Dr Vijay Mallya spoke to the team:

Q - Vijay, the result in Singapore must have been a big boost for the team…

'I was very pleased. The call to make the last pit stop with Checo was an aggressive gamble. We had nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

We didn't do the same with Nico because he was already running in the points and there was a reluctance to take a huge gamble with him. 

As Checo was out of the points, a gamble could either pay off, or we would lose nothing. Fortunately it paid off. As a team we were very happy and both drivers performed brilliantly.'

Q - The team reclaimed fifth in the championship – that surely brings a smile to your face…

'It’s been the story of our season. We were ahead, then we fell behind, and now we're back in fifth place. 

I think we all recognise that the fight is only going to become even more intense as the end of the season approaches. 

To be in this position after fourteen races says a lot about what we have achieved this year. We’ve also scored more points than ever before [117] and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Whatever happens in the remaining races, I’m already very proud of our achievements in 2014.'

Q - What are you feelings ahead of the next race in Japan?

'We haven't had the best of results in Suzuka over the years, but hopefully with this car and these two drivers we can come away with some points. 

We brought an aero update to Singapore and, in terms of race pace, it worked well. Suzuka will give us another chance to evaluate those parts because it’s a track that is dominated by medium-speed corners. There are also a few more bits and pieces coming before the end of the year, so we're continuing to push hard and not giving up.'

© Ben Johnston 2014

No comments:

Post a Comment