The Sahara Force India F1 Team’s strong performance during the Canadian Grand Prix, particularly in comparison to Red Bull Racing’s performance, will not translate into a full-on rivalry in 2017, with the pace likely to be circuit specific according to Christian Horner.
Daniel Ricciardo may have finished on the podium at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but he was under constant pressure in the second half of the race from both Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, who used their Mercedes power units to their best effects.
Team Principal Horner expects both the Force India and Williams Martini Racing will be strong in the next couple of races in Azerbaijan and Austria, but expects Red Bull to have their own strong moments later in the season when the tracks suit them better.
“I think it’ll be circuit-specific,” said Horner of Force India’s competitiveness on Autosport. “These next two races [Azerbaijan and Austria], I’m sure Williams and Force India will be competitive.
“Force India were in Ferrari’s range [at Montreal] so they were very competitive. The influence of the power unit on that kind of circuit is significant so you get sometimes a slightly offset performance.
“The next two races will be tough for us. But what I’m pleased about is the performance we have brought to the car. We have definitely put performance on the car.”
