Formula 1

Force India’s Vijay Mallya: “We are still unlocking further performance from the VJM10”

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Credit: Sahara Force India F1 Team

Dr. Vijay Mallya says that there were many positives to take away from the Malaysian Grand Prix last weekend, as his Sahara Force India F1 Team further consolidated their fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Sergio Perez finished sixth and Esteban Ocon tenth at the Sepang International Circuit, their twelfth two-car points finish in 2017 so far, and this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course should offer the team more opportunities to score points.

Mallya, the team principal of the Silverstone-based team, says they are still unlocking the potential of their VJM10, which gives them heart that they can enjoy the final five races of the year, starting with Japan this weekend.

“There are many positives to take from our performance in Sepang last weekend,” said Mallya. “The pace of the car in both qualifying and the race shows that we are still unlocking further performance from the VJM10.

“It’s a good sign for the remaining five events of the year. Suzuka will give us another chance to explore our latest developments on a track that is very technical with big emphasis on aero.”

Mallya heaped praise on Perez for his performance in Malaysia despite being unwell, with the Mexican claiming an excellent sixth place. He also was happy for Ocon to score a point in tenth position despite having a lot of bad luck early in the Grand Prix that left him on the back foot.

“It’s worth mentioning again how impressive Sergio’s race was in Malaysia,” admitted Mallya. “Despite feeling unwell all weekend, he still managed to deliver one of his best results of the season.

“Esteban also drove a remarkable race. 53 laps on one set of tyres to score the final point was a big achievement. It’s just a shame the luck went against him otherwise he would surely have picked up even more points.”

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