Force India are confident they have opened up a large enough buffer to seventh placed Sauber to ensure they finish at least sixth in the constructors’ championship.
The Silverstone based outfit is now turning its attention to taking fifth from McLaren after getting back on terms with their performance.
The team suffered from the mid-season tyre change which saw them score just three points in seven races, whilst Sauber took 39 in the same period to close the gap.
A recent upturn in performance for Force India and some bad luck for Sauber, with the former taking 15 points in the last two races to Sauber’s zero, means they can now focus on beating McLaren, according to deputy team principal Bob Fernley.
“We started to be able to get back on top of things and show a bit more pace in Japan and we’ve managed to carry it from there,” he told Autosport.
“India and Abu Dhabi were very good for us and most importantly, they have not been so good for Sauber, so hopefully we have broken the tow a little bit on that battle.
“Now we turn our attention to McLaren,” he added after the Woking team scored three points less than Force India in the last two races, bringing the pair to within 18 points of one another.
