Dr. Vijay Mallya: “We’re looking to continue this good performance”
Wednesday ,21 September 2011
Paul Di Resta’s eighth place in Monza was the fourth consecutive score for the team after sixth for Adrian Sutil in Germany, seventh for Paul in Hungary, and another seventh for Adrian in Belgium. The Italian result also moved the team above Sauber to sixth place in the constructors’ championship, with six races still to come. We asked Dr Vijay Mallya for his thoughts on current form – and preparations for the Indian Grand Prix
The team has now had a run of four good results. Has that been satisfying for you?
“Absolutely, that’s what this team needed. We were hoping for double points finishes in these races, but nevertheless one car has scored points. Whether it’s luck I don’t know, but whenever there is a first lap incident Force India is inevitably involved in some way or another! Adrian was held up by the accident at the start, and then he retired with a hydraulic leak. Our reliability has been excellent, so that’s disappointing. But Paul was eighth and it was great to leave Europe and go to the flyaway races in sixth position, as we have now overtaken Sauber. That was our objective in Monza, and we achieved it.”
It’s not easy to arrive at Monza with the perfect package. Was it encouraging that things seemed to improve as the weekend went on?
“It is a question of learning the tyres, and tyre management has become very critical. I guess on Friday we were coming up to speed with the tyres on that particular track, and trying set-up options as well. And the drivers themselves were trying to figure our tyre behaviour and degradation. We knew that there was capability in the car. Sauber and Toro Rosso were very, very close, we knew that. I think we qualified decently. I almost prefer being 11th and 12th and being able to start on fresh sets of tyres! Nevertheless we came out of it OK.
You wanted the car to be competitive on all types of tracks in 2011, and clearly that is the case now.
“This is a very competitive game. Our car was very, very quick last year on low downforce circuits. The technical direction we all agreed on at the factory was to build a car for all circuits. This year’s car probably has more downforce than ever before, and therefore less straightline speed. However we went well at Spa and Monza, and now we’re going to tracks that require more downforce, which we have. So we’re looking to continue this good performance for the remainder of the year.”
Paul had some bad luck in the middle of the season, but he’s had some great races recently. Is that pleasing?
“It’s excellent, Paul is going very well for us. He’s a very talented guy and we are very happy to have him in the team. He’s showed that he’s mature, he doesn’t panic, and his feedback is excellent. He helped a lot with our tyre strategy both before and during the race in Monza because he gave good feedback on how much he had left in the tyres, and we could therefore plan our pit stop strategy accordingly. And it all paid off, a good, solid eighth position. Even though Senna was chasing us on soft tyres he held his nerve and kept his position.”
Finally, the FIA’s Charlie Whiting inspected the Indian GP venue recently. Are you pleased with progress?
“Absolutely, without a doubt. Charlie Whiting’s track inspection report is very flattering. I was exceptionally proud to read his report. He said that everything is done to a very high standard and he has asserted that there is no reason why the track should not be fully ready by the race. We are not going to be last minute. All barriers are done, kerbs are done, and the debris fencing is done. As far as the promoters of the track are concerned, they say we can race there tomorrow.”
Credit: Force India (www.forceindiaf1.com)
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