Force India believe they have what it takes to take a step forward in 2008 and start challenging for points. In 2007, the team competed in Formula 1 as Spyker F1 and managed to finish 10th in the overall standings despite a poor start.
Technical chief Mike Gascoyne has admitted that they did not develop their car as quickly as they had hoped however he is optimistic about the team s future. “I think we finished the season in very good shape,†he began.
“The year was very difficult in some respects the team did not develop as we had hoped, it was quite difficult financially, and then we had the sale of the team. Looking back, we haven t been able to do as much as we wanted and we haven t moved forward as much as we would have liked. Nevertheless, looking forward, we can now be very optimistic about the future.
“For 2008, I think we definitely have to make a step forward be more consistent, qualify better, and, if we are racing in the midfield, regularly pick up the odd point. We certainly have to target more points next year.
“Scoring the first point was very important as the team has been on the back foot for many years now. Although finishing the season with one point is not a lot of different from, it certainly feels a lot different it s a landmark for the team and shows we are moving forward, from a team at the start of the year that was just driving around at the back to a team that can go racing. From this perspective, it was very important so we need to make sure that we build on this next year.â€