Team Principal Vijay Mallya expects better showing from Force India at Hungarian Grand Prix
Formula One circuit makes its way to Hungary this weekend. Apart from the big names like Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull, there are other teams in the competition who have their own aspirations and targets.
Vijay Mallya, the multimillionaire from India who is the owner of Force India, has said that he expects his team to put up a much better show this weekend. He said that what happened in Germany was unacceptable, and he would not tolerate the same result in Hungary.
It was all downhill for Force India in Germany, ever since Adrian Sutil struggled to get to grips with the wet surface in practice. The 2nd session did not go any better for the duo of Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi, as they could not get in to the top 10. The 3rd session on the morning of qualifying was hampered by a driveshaft problem to Sutil’s car.
Liuzzi encountered a crash in the first qualifying session, and started the race in 22nd spot on Sunday. The other driver for Force India, Adrian Sutil, could only manage 14th place on the starting grid, but later was demoted 5 places after changing his gear box before the race.
In the race, things did not get any better for Force India; both drivers had to make additional pit stops which were due to a mix-up of tyres. The team had misinterpreted the weather and installed wet tyres, and due to the dry surface had to ask the cars to come in and get the tyres changed. The extra pit stop cost the team dearly, and the 2 drivers ended the race without a single point. This was the 2nd time this season that Force India did not manage to get a single point in a race.
Team principal Vijay Mallya said that the German Grand Prix was a huge disappointment, but he expects his team to do much better in the upcoming race. He added that he knows his team is capable of a much better showing, and Germany was just a small hindrance in an otherwise decent season for the team.
Mallya said that once the practice in Germany started, things were looking good. He said the first practice session was going well and Sutil did put in the fastest lap, but from then on one thing led to another and it ended up being the team’s worst race of the season.
The Indian businessman said that all things said and done, it was only the 2nd time in the season that his team did not score any points. He said that the thing to mention here is that despite the poor weekend, they are still not far behind their competitors.
However, he reiterated that things like this cannot be repeated, and the team would make sure that they are ready for any scenario when the next race comes round. He said that they would have to make sure that the tracks are assessed thoroughly ahead of the race and one if not both drivers ends up with some points at the end of the race.
Vijay Mallya said that when he bought the team, he knew that he would not be able to compete with the likes of Ferrari and McLaren. He said that still, there are his own targets that he thinks the team should be able to meet, and he is sure that when the season ends, his team would finish in the top 10. Mallya went on to say that if things go well, there is no reason why his team in 2 to 3 seasons can really compete for the world championship.
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