Mallya still hopeful of hunting down Red Bull

Force India boss Vijay Mallya says he is "not giving up" on catching Red Bull Racing and ultimately beating it to third place this year in the Constructors' standings.

The Silverstone-based outfit currently holds a 54-point lead over Williams but remains 79 points adrift of Red Bull in third place.

Force India's remarkable consistency in 2016, which yielded a fourth place finish in the Constructor's championship,  encouraged Mallya to target a top-3 placing in the team hierarchy this season, an ambition which remains intact for the 61-year-old.

"We should've had nine [double points finishes] at least, but eight out of 10 is pretty good," said Mallya, who lamented Sergio Perez's and Esteban Ocon's unfortunate run-in in Baku.

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"It's very satisfying to see two good, competitive drivers. I couldn't ask for more; two cars regularly in the points, it's what we need.

"We're up to 95 points in 10 races, we've never had this kind of points tally in the history of the team that I can remember.

"We're 54 ahead of Williams, our nearest competitor, and slowly consolidating ourselves in fourth position.

"Let's see what opportunities the second half of the season throws up. I'm not giving up on chasing Red Bull.

"It's always good to set our targets high. That allows you to really challenge yourself. Whether we get that or not, finishing fourth for a second consecutive year is a credible achievement."

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Like its front-running peers, Force India continues to develop its VJM-10, with an upgrade scheduled for Singapore later this year already in the works.

If you're able to plan an upgrade as far ahead as Singapore, obviously you have the resources to do it, he said.

"I said at the beginning of the year that given the fact the 2017 car is a brand new car with no carry over whatsoever from last year, we would have to engage in a robust development programme right through the year.

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