Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsForce India

Mallya excited by Force India potential

Vijay Mallya says he is excited by the potential for Force India to enjoy an even stronger season in 2016 off the back of its recent performances.

After a solid start to the season, Force India's form picked up following the introduction of a B-spec car at the British Grand Prix in July. Throughout the second half of the year the team has been even more competitive, scoring a podium courtesy of Sergio Perez in Russia and wrapping up fifth place in the constructors' championship last time out in Brazil.

With Mallya keen to see Force India race without any pressure in Abu Dhabi, the team principal says the ingredients are in place to continue the momentum in to next season.

"Heading to Abu Dhabi with fifth place in the championship already secured feels pretty good," Mallya said. "It means we can approach the last weekend of the season free from pressure and with nothing to lose. Our focus is simply on enjoying the race and ending the season in style. Abu Dhabi will be a special race for us as it marks the 150th of our history as Force India, and we will aim to celebrate it with a strong performance on the track.

“All season I’ve been saying how proud I am of my team – particularly our development curve in the second half of the season. With 81 points from the last eight races we’ve enjoyed our best ever strike rate and we have been competitive at every race. With stable regulations for 2016, there is every reason to believe we can carry this form through the winter and into the new season. There is plenty to be excited about and a lot of positive energy in the team.

“This weekend’s race is simply another chance to demonstrate how far we have come. Our aim will be to qualify in the top ten and add a final helping of points to our tally."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.