Force India eager to cash in on bright start

Sahara Force India said they will not get carried away by the enthusiasm following its best-ever start to the season as the Malaysian Grand Prix, the second race on the Formula One calender, is lined up for Sunday.

The Indian team scored 10 points as come-back man Adrian Sutil finished seventh and Paul di Resta eighth at Melbourne.

“We have scored points in Sepang the last three times we raced there, including a double-points finish last year, and I believe we can build on the early-season momentum to bring home a valuable result,” Team Principal Vijay Mallya said.

Mallya said now they will be watched curiously by all after a superb result in the season-opening race.

 “With improved results come increased responsibilities. The whole world of Formula One -- our rivals, the media and the fans -- now look at Sahara Force India as a competitor for points at every race. It is our duty to sustain this scrutiny by going out every day and performing to our best to keep challenging the top teams in the world,” Mallya said.

“The 2013 Championship is just at the beginning, and it is important not to get carried away with enthusiasm.”

Di Resta said” “We’ve got some things we need to pick up on and we can definitely make some improvements, but we’re in a good place to start the season. Also, we’ve seen already that we can make a stop less than some of our competitors so let’s see if that remains the case in Malaysia.”

German driver Sutil said rain helped him in a big way in the Australian Grand Prix but it will be diferent in Sepang. “In the rain, it’s easier sometimes to be at the front and race with the top teams, but in the dry it’s more difficult and normally never happens,” he said.

Looking to improve

However, he said he always looks to go a step further. 

“It’s amazing to see that it was possible in Australia and don’t forget that Nico (Hulkenberg) led for this team at the final race of last year too. There are opportunities, and if you believe in it, you can take those chances. If you don’t believe you can win, you will never win. It’s just an approach, I think,” he said.