Force India boss Vijay Mallya says the team has its sights set on challenging Williams and Red Bull Racing in the 2016 F1 season.
The VJM09 was officially unveiled in the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya pit lane on Monday morning, ahead of the opening day of winter testing.
Force India enjoyed its best constructors’ championship finish ever in 2015, ending the year fifth overall with 136 points. The Silverstone-based squad retains Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez for a third season.
"I’m always wary of making bold predictions so early in the season, but I’m optimistic we can stay at the front of the midfield battle," Mallya told the Force India website when asked about the team’s main opposition in 2016.
"If you look at the second half of last year, after the summer break, we outscored Red Bull Racing by six points and were only nine points behind Williams – so we’ve got to begin the new season with those teams firmly in our sights.
"We set the bar high in 2015 and we should try and push it higher in 2016. At the very least our target must be to maintain fifth place and target fourth place as a stretch objective.
"At the same time, we are conscious of the threat from McLaren, Toro Rosso and Renault. All those teams have the potential to make big steps over the winter and will be scoring points. I think it’s fair to say the midfield has never been more competitive and we need to work hard to stay at the front of that fight."
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