Force India eyes more podiums despite 2017 focus

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Force India team principal Vijay Mallya is targeting more podiums despite switching focus to the new regulations in 2017.

Sergio Perez has finished on the podium in two of the last three races, taking third place in both Monaco and Baku. Unable to match the resources of some of the bigger teams, Force India is turning the majority of its attentions to next year's new regulations but Mallya says there is still potential in the current car to repeat recent results.

"Seeing our team on the podium for the second time in less than a month makes me incredibly proud," Mallya said. "The result in Baku was achieved completely on merit and everybody in the team deserves credit for helping make these results possible. We are experiencing the best run of form in the team’s history and we are enjoying the moment.

"There has been a lot of talk about the team switching focus to 2017, but this doesn’t mean we won’t be strong for the rest of 2016. There is a lot of performance still to be extracted from our current package and I am confident we can put on a good show in the races to come. Having scored two podiums in three races, we’ve got a taste for success and I would like to see us pick up more silverware before the end of the year."

And Mallya believes the run of consecutive back-to-back races provides Force India with a good opportunity to continue its momentum, with the Red Bull Ring also set to suit its car.

"The races come thick and fast during July with four races in the space of a month. The next race in Austria is a venue we enjoy and we expect to be competitive once again. It’s a great moment for the team and there is a special atmosphere back at our Silverstone base. We’ve shown that we can give the leading teams a run for their money and that’s a huge motivation for everyone at Force India."

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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.