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NEW DELHI: With two top 10 finishes in Bahrain and Melbourne, Force India owner Vijay Mallya has reasons to be pleased. Sitting sixth in the constructors' standings, Force India have well and truly announced their arrival as a mid-field contender, exactly what Mallya had predicted for his team way back in 2008.
India's Karun Chandhok too was in a good mood, albeit a bit tired, having finished his first F1 race. Chandhok, who spend just four laps in the Hispania car in Bahrain, finished the whole 58 laps in Melbourne to finish 14th.
"My objective for this season was getting points regularly and that is what we're doing. Of course having both cars finishing in the points would've been great but we're right on track," Mallya told TOI on Sunday. Vitanonio Liuzzi once again proved his worth when he made up six places to finish seventh and earn Force India six points. Adrian Sutil, who qualified 10th on Saturday, was unlucky to suffer from engine problems and his Sunday came to a premature end just nine laps into what was a chaotic race.
Sutil's engine failure was the only blimp in an otherwise good weekend for the Silverstone-based outfit.
Though the race is being called one of the most interesting in the last decade, Mallya differed that the regulations were behind the spectacle that Melbourne was. "It was an interesting race but not because of the regulations. It was because of the conditions and the weather. The FIA and FOM's objective is to encourage more overtaking but I'm not sure the regulations have achieved that."
Chandhok, having had some time to reflect on his latest achievement, said, "It's a huge psychological boost for the team and me. The team and engineers are very happy at having made a car that can last the race distance. Robert Kubica came down to the pits and we had a coffee and he said, At least you guys look like a race team now.' And I think we've earned ourselves some respectability."
Having ticked off one goal in a long list, Karun knows that the challenges ahead are not easier. "We still have a few reliability issues. We're struggling on the bumps and aerodynamically we're still short but we're getting there slowly but surely," he signed off.
India's Karun Chandhok too was in a good mood, albeit a bit tired, having finished his first F1 race. Chandhok, who spend just four laps in the Hispania car in Bahrain, finished the whole 58 laps in Melbourne to finish 14th.
"My objective for this season was getting points regularly and that is what we're doing. Of course having both cars finishing in the points would've been great but we're right on track," Mallya told TOI on Sunday. Vitanonio Liuzzi once again proved his worth when he made up six places to finish seventh and earn Force India six points. Adrian Sutil, who qualified 10th on Saturday, was unlucky to suffer from engine problems and his Sunday came to a premature end just nine laps into what was a chaotic race.
Sutil's engine failure was the only blimp in an otherwise good weekend for the Silverstone-based outfit.
Though the race is being called one of the most interesting in the last decade, Mallya differed that the regulations were behind the spectacle that Melbourne was. "It was an interesting race but not because of the regulations. It was because of the conditions and the weather. The FIA and FOM's objective is to encourage more overtaking but I'm not sure the regulations have achieved that."
Chandhok, having had some time to reflect on his latest achievement, said, "It's a huge psychological boost for the team and me. The team and engineers are very happy at having made a car that can last the race distance. Robert Kubica came down to the pits and we had a coffee and he said, At least you guys look like a race team now.' And I think we've earned ourselves some respectability."
Having ticked off one goal in a long list, Karun knows that the challenges ahead are not easier. "We still have a few reliability issues. We're struggling on the bumps and aerodynamically we're still short but we're getting there slowly but surely," he signed off.
