Force India admits retaining fourth position in the Constructors' Standings this season is going to be a "big task" following their performance in Australia, but its where they are in the standings at the end of the season that counts insists chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer.
The Force India duo of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon finished just outside the points in 11th and 12th, meaning the team left Melbourne pointless for the first time since 2009.
Whilst it's their worst start to a season in nine years, the Silverstone-based outfit have traditionally started slow before ramping up development during the season, forcing them to play catch-up.
Szafnauer said their performance in Australia came as no surprise given how tight the midfield is and that they would aim to, as they have done in the past, outdevelop those around them.
"Testing showed us that the midfield has closed up considerably, so there were no big shocks in Melbourne," he said.
"I think the points will be spread among the teams more evenly this year and retaining fourth place is going to be a big task. But we’ve only had one race and things can change very quickly in Formula 1.
"The development race is only just beginning and it’s where you end the season that counts. Last year we out-developed the teams around us and we have to do the same this year.
"Our goal is to defend our fourth place and we will be fighting hard to get back up there."
That will start next weekend in Bahrain where the team will introduce some new developments.
"It’s business as usual in terms of developing the car. We’ve got a new front wing coming for Bahrain, which will complement the upgrades we introduced in Melbourne.
"The car we have now is totally different from the spec we used during testing and we’re still on a learning curve. There is huge development potential with this new aerodynamic platform and we have things in the pipeline, which will bring performance steps in the first quarter of the season."
Discussion about this post