Having regained the momentum with 15 points in the last two races, an ambitious Sahara Force India are now looking to snatch fifth place from McLaren as Formula one caravan has reached its penultimate destination of the season.
With 18 points separating the two teams in the constructors’ championship, Force India are looking forward to a strong show at this week’s United States Grand Prix.
“We’re certainly in better shape, but will never take anything for granted. Now have some breathing space behind us. But we won’t change our approach heading to Austin. We will go there focussed on closing the gap to fifth place, which is just 18 points,” Team Principal Vijay Mallya said.
Paul Di Resta, who has scored 12 points in the last two races, said “these results are a massive boost for everyone at Sahara Force India.”
It’s great to have a race there, especially at such an impressive facility. I still remember the huge crowd that came to the race last year and the amazing atmosphere. The place was absolutely packed and the whole city was very enthusiastic about Formula One. We go there with high hopes and will try and build on the performance of Abu Dhabi.
The Scot said he likes the track in Austin, specially the sector one.
“Sector one stands out for me. It’s very similar to the Maggots and Becketts sequence at Silverstone and the fast chicanes work the car and tyres really hard. It’s a very enjoyable part of the lap and those corners really show you the potential of a Formula One car. The rest of the lap is quite open with a great flow. A lot of the corners are off—camber, too, which adds another challenge,” Di Resta said.
Adrian Sutil has not driven on the Circuit of The Americas as he missed out 2012 F1 season but the German driver says he has heard nice things about it, so he was looking forward to racing there for first time.
“I’ve spent time in America before. I’ve been to a few of the big cities: New York, Los Angeles and Miami, but never to Texas. I hear it’s a beautiful place with a lot happening so it sounds like a great location. I’ve heard lots of good things about the Circuit of The Americas, too.
“It’s a very unusual lap with a big variation of corners.
The first sector is interesting with so many turns one after the other and it looks like there are some nice high-speed corners. The feedback I’ve heard is very positive and everyone says it’s smooth and enjoyable to drive. From what I’ve seen it appears to be one of the better new generation tracks so I’m looking forward to getting there and trying it for myself.”
