Formula 1

Mallya keen to keep the pressure on other teams in Hungary

2 Mins read
Sahara Force India F1 Team. Credit: Octane Photographic Ltd

Sahara Force India F1 Team Boss Vijay Mallya is aiming to continue the squads run as one of the most consistent team’s in the paddock, with another points haul in Hungary this weekend.

Force India continue to develop the VJM10 with every race and their potential is there for all to see, as they work hard to maintain that fourth place in the constructors standings, whilst taking the fight to Red Bull Racing in third.

That is a battle that Mallya strongly believes Force India can very much hold their own in this year, though he does not want to get ahead of himself just yet, with half of the season still remaining. The Indian business man is extremely pleased with how things have gone so far, however.

“Silverstone was another solid weekend for the team. Both cars finished in the points for the eighth time this season.

“The developments we introduced delivered what we expected and the car continues to improve with each race. As I said before, this consistency is our strength and we won’t become complacent.

“This is only the half-way point in the season and there is a lot of hard work ahead of us. We will keep pushing, keep bringing new parts to the cars and keep the pressure on the teams we are racing against.”

The Hungaroring is a circuit that should, on paper, suit the VJM10, and Mallya is therefore expecting both his drivers to be in the points once again this weekend, despite the team not having the best track record in Budapest.

“Budapest should be another competitive track for us. Esteban tells me that it’s his favourite track of the year because he loves the chicanes. It’s never been a circuit where we’ve had much luck in recent years so hopefully things will change this year.”

As is often the case with Force India, who are big supporters of giving youth a chance, Alfonso Celis Jr will once again be given the opportunity to get behind the wheel during FP1 in Budapest. Whilst European F3 driver Nikita Mazepin and DTM driver Lucas Auer will take part in the in-season test that follows the Hungarian Grand Prix.

“We will be running Alfonso Celis in the car during free practice on Friday and we have two promising youngsters testing with us in the days after the race with Nikita Mazepin and Lucas Auer in the car.”

With the summer break just around the corner, Mallya is hoping to end the first half of the season having achieved Force India’s best result yet, and is looking forward to a solid weekend in Hungary.

“After that, there’s a well-earned rest for the entire team. We will do our best to sign off the first half of the year with a strong result.”

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