Singapore: Only five points separate Force India and McLaren in the constructors championship and as Singapore Grand Prix approaches, the Indian F1 outfit is targetting a good qualifying result to catch the British team.
Force India have been struggling to find a balance with new tyres and Team Principal Vijay Mallya says they are hopeful of finding a solution soon.
“It is going to be a close fight, but the good news is that McLaren still aren’t that far ahead. They only scored one point in Monza, so they are definitely catchable,” Mallya said.
Adrian Sutil said a good qualifying was key for them to continue to fight for the fifth position.
“We’ve got to qualify well to give ourselves the best chance of scoring points. We are still close to McLaren in the championship and we need to make sure we keep a healthy margin ahead of Toro Rosso and Sauber. Singapore can sometimes generate surprises and there’s always the risk of rain, so as a team we need to be ready to react quickly and make the most of any opportunities,” Sutil said.
Sutil said Singapore was not his favourite track but he still enjoys racing in the only night race on the calender on a street circuit.
“In Singapore the night becomes your day and I’ve never had a problem coping with the schedule. Every year you learn more about the best technique for sleeping during the day. As for the track, you almost forget you are driving at night because the lights are so bright and clear. The visibility is perfect.
Paul di Resta, who had finished fourth last year in Singapore, said it was difficult to predict what was in store for the side considering the circumstances.
“There’s no doubt that the tyre change had an impact on things. Plus, a lot of the teams have caught up with us for whatever reason, whether it’s updates or the nature of the tracks. All we can do is keep working away to try and find some more performance.
“Everybody is giving 100 percent because we know things can change around quickly in this sport,” the Scot said. (PTI)