Melbourne: All geared up for the season ahead Sahara Force India looks forward to the race in Melbourne'a Albert Park. According to Team Principal Dr Vijay Mallya, his team would be looking forward to a strong 2013 campaign which begins this weekend.
“I’m really looking forward to the start of the season. We’ve picked up points in Melbourne for the past couple of seasons so that’s a clear objective for this coming weekend. Last year we had some of our best performances on street circuits, so I’m optimistic we can perform well on the streets of Albert Park,” said Mallya, adding that he was very happy about their driver line-up and he was particularly delighted to welcome Adrian Sutil back to the team.
“Over the winter we thought long and hard about the decision, but I’m sure we have made the right choice. Adrian is very quick and has a great history with the team - he has been with us from the very start and is truly part of the family. Everyone was impressed by his performance during winter testing in Barcelona: he was able to deliver great pace right away,” said Mallya, adding that Paul di Resta has matured into a very good driver and in his third season with the team, they were confident he would deliver the results his talent warrants.
“He has gelled with the team perfectly and following a strong winter he is well prepared for a great season. Adrian and Paul make up the driver pairing that brought us to our best-ever Championship result in 2011 and there is no reason why we can’t have a similar result this year. The VJM06 has shown excellent reliability in winter testing. The rules haven’t changed much from 2012 and everyone in the team is confident we can pick up where we left off at the end of last season. The first race of the season on a track like Melbourne is always a lottery; if any of the front runners stumble, we will be ready to pounce,” said Mallya.
Meanwhile Paul di Resta said, “It’s been a very positive winter – probably the best winter I can remember while I have been with the team – and I’ve done as much preparation as I can both on and off the track. It’s my third year as a race driver and I’ve got the same team around me so I think that consistency will be very important this year.”
Paul said he thought it’s only when they get to Melbourne that they would understand where they were compared to the other teams. “You can look at the laptimes in testing, but everybody is focussed on their own programme so you can’t make any assumptions. What we can say is that we’re determined to push on from where we finished last season and the target for Melbourne has to be reaching Q3 and racing for points,” said Paul, adding that understanding the tyres is where they have put a lot of our energy.
“Because Pirelli have kept us busy with their new 2013 compounds, which appear to be more aggressive than last year. We have stability in the technical office, which helps, and we’ve tried to build more consistency into the car. We’re as well prepared as we can be, but the first two races in Australia and Malaysia are two of the toughest of the year. The grid seems very closely matched so it’s going to be interesting to see how things shake out in Melbourne.”
Meanwhile Adrian Sutil said that it has all happened very quickly, but he has received a warm welcome back into the team and it’s good to see lots of happy and familiar faces once again. “It’s clear the team has grown, but I am working with my old race engineer [Brad Joyce] and this team still feels like ‘home’. It’s a new beginning; my second chance in Formula One and I intend to make the most of this opportunity,” said Sutil, adding 2012 was an interesting year.
“I experienced life away from Formula One and in many ways it has given me a new perspective. I think it helped me grow as a person and I feel mentally stronger as a result. I feel fresh and energized, and ready for the season. When I was back in the car for the first time in Barcelona it felt natural – almost as if I had never been away. I was back on the pace and able to push hard straight away,” said Sutil.
