(Sahara Force India Formula One Team)
Sahara Force India head to the European leg of the 2014 Formula One season following an extremely strong start to their campaign which has seen the Silverstone based outfit claim their first podium since the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix.
The team have scored points in every race so far this season and find themselves in third place in the Constructors championship just three points behind Red Bull Racing. Last time out in China, Nico Hulkenberg finished the race in 6th place collecting eight valuable points. The German is currently in 4th place in Drivers standings, three points ahead of reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel.
The team will be hoping to continue their great start to the season with another strong result this weekend in Barcelona. Speaking to their official website team boss Dr Vijay Mallya was asked about his outfits best start to a Formula One season. He said:
'I think we can feel extremely satisfied with our performance during the first four races. We’ve been in the points in every race, Sergio has been on the podium and Nico has finished no lower than sixth place. We’ve already scored 70% of the total points we scored in 2013 and that puts us in a fantastic position to potentially enjoy our best season to date.'
Mallya was also asked about what he is expecting from the team in the next few Grand Prix:
'It’s encouraging that we have performed well across a wide range of circuits, so I’m optimistic that we can maintain our competitive form in Barcelona. China has never been an especially strong track for us, so to come away with ten points was a very good effort. We also expect our car to perform better in warmer conditions and there are some upcoming races that will play more to our strengths. At the same time we know that Formula One never stands still and Barcelona is always a pivotal moment in the development race, but I’m optimistic we can keep up our momentum.'
The team, like their rivals have been working extremely hard since the last race in China to ensure that they have their Spanish Grand Prix upgrades ready. But Force India they also announced a major new sponsorship deal.
'It’s an exciting time for us. Smirnoff is another global brand keen to be part of our journey and ready to take advantage of the marketing power offered by Formula One. The partnership means we have now signed ten new partners in the last six months and that has made a vital contribution to our competitiveness this year.'
The Spanish Grand Prix last season was a happy hunting ground for the Silverstone based outfit as Paul Di Resta finished the race in 6th place. Twelve months later the team have two new drivers. Nico Hulkenberg, who finished last years race down in 15th place is looking forward to the start of the European season:
'Even though we know the place inside out, it remains a tough, tricky circuit and one of those places where it’s especially important to optimise the car balance. If you don’t feel totally comfortable with the car it really hurts your lap time. Barcelona is the true test for down-force because of the quick corners in the first and second sectors. Traction is also important in the final part of the lap with the low-speed corners and we should be strong there.'
The German heads to Barcelona having finished the Chinese Grand Prix in 6th place and is currently in fourth place in Drivers championship behind the Mercedes duo and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.
'I’ve enjoyed the first part of the year. It’s probably gone better than we were expecting after winter testing and it’s good to keep picking up the points. I’m fourth with 36 points and I think that’s a big achievement. The car has worked well everywhere and we’ve made the most of the opportunities. Consistency is surely one of our strengths at the moment.'
The team are hoping that they can keep up with the rate of development of the rivals as it is new territory this season with the new regulations in place which has allowed the likes of Force India to beat former technical partner McLaren and also ahead of Ferrari at this early stage of the season. The Silverstone squad compromised their development on last season's car in favour of this year's car and as a result they are well placed in the championship.
'I think this team has always been hungry and that’s still very much the case. We’re up in third in the championship and we want to stay there. The hard work over the winter is paying off, but we know that Formula One is always a development race and things can change from one weekend to the next. So we need to keep working hard to maintain our good position.'
While the Hulk has had a great start to the 2014 season, there have been mixed results for his team mate Sergio Perez as the Mexican is in 10th place in the championship despite picking up the podium in Bahrain. The Mexican is looking forward to Formula One's return to Europe.
'I love coming back to Europe to race on some of the classic circuits. I enjoy Barcelona and for me it’s one of the best circuits on the whole calendar. It’s very complete with a mix of everything and some very long, quick corners. It’s tough physically, especially on the neck with so many right hand corners, but it’s a fun place to drive a Formula One car. It’s always a race where teams bring new updates so it’s going to be interesting to see how everyone will perform there.'
Following four Grand Prix with the team, Perez is happy with the team has been progressing but is hungry for more success:
'On the one hand I’m happy. The podium in Bahrain was very important; it helped me get to know the team properly and gave us all something special to celebrate. At the same time I feel there is more to come and that we’ve yet to achieve our full potential. Bahrain has been the only weekend where everything has worked out perfectly. If we can have more weekends like that I think we can get some more great results.'
Perez was also asked about his feelings towards the era of Formula One car and he said:
'It’s not any harder or any easier than last year; it’s just different. The grip has changed and the sound is different, but it’s still a Formula One car and the competition element has not changed a bit. It already feels normal to me after just four races.'
The start of the European season is going to be extremely interesting and exciting and it will be great to see first hand how the new cars perform on track in Barcelona as they have not been driven at the Circuit de Catalunya.
©Ben Johnston 2014
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