Mallya hits back at Abiteboul 'arms race' comments!

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Vijay Mallya lost no time in taking a dig at Renault's Cyril Abiteboul just before Force India unveiled its striking 2017 VJM10 car.

Abiteboul took aim at Formula 1's smaller teams yesterday at the French manufacturer's laucnh in London, saying that a development 'arms race' will impose ahuge financial burden on outfit's such as Haas, Force India and Sauber.

But Mallya had a few words of his own for Abiteboul.

"I read an article this morning that Cyril Abiteboul of Renault said that poor teams such as Force India were going to suffer in this arms race," Mallya said on the presentation stage at Silverstone earlier today.

"Well, good luck to him, he might have to eat his words.

"It's not the amount of arms you have, it's the quality of your weaponry."

Sahara Force India reveals its 2017 VJM10!

While sticking to a conservative approach of under-promising and over-delivering, the Force India boss believed in his team's ambitions of giving the top tier outfits a run for their money this season.

"To be in the company of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari is a huge accomplishment in itself.

"We will always dream big, we have never ever had conversations, even in private, that we are not going to break into the top three.

"That is certainly going to be our objective. We will give it our best shot.

"The 2017 regulations have meant that everybody has to start with a clean slate, I don’t think we will know the pecking order, or likely pecking order, before the test in Barcelona.

"I know we have to continue to develop the car right through the 2017 season, there is no stopping because we are starting from scratch, all teams will be doing the same – we have planned for it and we are very excited."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.