Force India co-owner and team principal Vijay Mallya isn’t make wild predictions ahead of the season opening race this weekend in Melbourne, after revealing analysis suggests the grid will be one of the closest in years.
It’s a view shared by many team principals and drivers up and down the grid, but nothing can be confirmed until the very end of the first race.
Mallya remains cautious, but wholly believes that Force India have designed their best car yet, with the VJM05 performing well in pre-season testing.
“After the long winter months I think we are all looking forward to the start of the new season,” said the Indian. “Our testing form has looked competitive, but it’s only when we get to the first race that we really get a feel for the pecking order and how well everyone has done over the winter.
“From our side there is no doubt that Andrew Green and his technical team have done an outstanding job to deliver a well-balanced car. I would even go as far as saying the VJM05 is the best engineered car we have produced and the detail of the design is beautiful. It’s a car we believe can help us take another step forward.”
The teams aims, according to the 56-year-old, are to start challenging the more established teams on a regular basis.
“I remain cautious on making predictions, simply because there are so many unknowns,” he said. “Our analysis suggests that we could see one of the closest grids in years, especially in the upper part of the midfield. Even so, our stated goal remains the same – to see Sahara Force India continue progressing and challenge the established teams that lie ahead of us.”
