Force India hopes to continue its climb in Canada

A paradox. Despite a much larger harvest of points than the previous year, Force India finds itself in the same place as last year, eighth, only ahead of Toro Rosso among the teams that have scored at least one point. Even if the ranking is not what was expected at the start of the season, there is satisfaction with the 28 points gathered so far by the management of the team based in Silverstone, compared to 10 small units last year.

Thus, when Vijay Mallya, team owner, talks about a strong start to the season, Paul di Resta notes a certain consistency in the results: “I think we’ve shown that we’ve picked up where we left off last year and that we are fighting for points every time. The teams around us are very strong, but we’ve shown that we are consistent and that we can challenge teams like Lotus, Williams, and Sauber, which are all competitive.”

In addition to this consistency, Nico Hülkenberg highlights an encouraging race pace: Most of the races have been unpredictable, but I think our pace has been quite consistent so far. We were very close to reaching Q3 in Spain and Monaco, and we have been good in the race – in reality, we are probably stronger in the race than in qualifying.

Vijay Mallya, as for him, attributes this positive dynamic to his drivers, who are meeting his expectations, and believes that his team’s results could take off if their understanding of the Pirelli tires improves: “I think that we owe [the unpredictability of F1] largely to the tires, and that this generates entertaining races. That’s why we are working tirelessly to better understand them and get the most out of them. If this happens, I hope we too can enjoy excellent results in the upcoming races,” he says, referring to Pastor Maldonado’s victory in Spain and Sergio Perez’s podium in Malaysia.

Wishes shared by Nico Hülkenberg, who hopes that the team’s progress during the season will be similar to 2011: « We are not too far behind Sauber and Williams after six races and we saw last year that we were able to improve well race by race, I am sure we can do the same this year ».

Force India has also closed the gap on its two designated rivals, after a successful Monaco Grand Prix: I am very happy with how the weekend in Monaco went with both cars in the points. It was our second time with both cars in the points and this result keeps us close to our closest competitors, Sauber and Williams. Our goal is to continue to reduce the gap and we have what it takes to do so.

If Paul di Resta agrees with his employer, mentioning a weekend where the whole team produced their maximum despite a difficult race, concentrating and managing the tires, Nico Hülkenberg regrets the traffic, customary in the Principality: I never had a clear track, especially after my pit stop, which allowed Paul to come out ahead: he had a few clear laps which was just enough to pass me. But apart from that, it was an uneventful race and the car was fast, the German moderates.

The focus is therefore on Quebec and its largest city, Montreal. A city that, despite the threats that could loom over the Grand Prix following student protests, is still appreciated by drivers: « I like Montreal as a city. There’s always a good atmosphere because the whole city is behind the race and the city is filled with fans » says Nico Hülkenberg. As for the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, the German driver ranks it among his « favorites. […] It’s an atypical circuit, a mix between permanent sections and urban sectors, there are many corners where the walls are very close. It’s easy to make a mistake because you have to use the curbs and get close to the walls to make a good lap ».

On the side of his Scottish teammate, the particular configuration of the track requiring less aerodynamic load is also noted: « It’s a rather atypical circuit with some long straights, and you need good top speed to be competitive. We run with a low-downforce aerodynamic package, similar to what we bring to Monza, and the car feels different, like it’s lighter without all that downforce. It always takes a few laps to get used to it again ».

The Gilles Villeneuve circuit has not always been successful for the Indian team: « We have had mixed visits to Montreal » recalls Vijay Mallya. « We were competitive in 2010, but last year, I believe we let easy points slip away. Hopefully, we will make up for it this year ».