Force India banking on performance gains from aero upgrade

Force India will bring an upgraded aerodynamic package to this weekend’s Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix as it looks to strengthen its championship position.

The recently rebranded Silverstone squad currently sits seventh in the 2018 constructors’ standings on 32 points, having forfeited its previous points haul after being rescued from administration ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.

In its bid to continue its momentum after strong results at Spa and Monza and close the gap to midfield leaders Renault, Haas and McLaren, Force India will evaluate its revised aerodynamic package during Friday practice before deciding whether to stick with it for the rest of the weekend.

“We have more performance to bring to the car this weekend with an updated aero package,” team principal Otmar Szafnauer said.

“It’s never easy to introduce and understand new parts during Friday practice, but hopefully we can unlock some performance straight away.

“Beyond Singapore, we hope the developments will keep us competitive as we begin the final third of the season.

“We arrive in Singapore after two strong weekends where we maximized what was available to us,” he added.

“32 points combined from Spa and Monza is an excellent effort and the team deserves credit for performing so well after all the uncertainty that surrounded us in August.

“I think Singapore is another opportunity to build on this momentum and keep scoring points. Traditionally we have always gone well there and both drivers enjoy street circuits.”

Force India recorded double points finishes at the previous two races and Sergio Perez hopes to reap instant rewards from the updates.

“The last couple of events went really well for us and you can feel the positive atmosphere in the whole team, so we want to keep the momentum going,” the Mexican explained.

“We're bringing an upgrade to the race, so I expect us to be competitive. Last year I finished fifth and after the breakthrough we had at Spa and Monza, I definitely expect to be fighting for a good amount of points this time as well.”

Esteban Ocon, whose F1 future remains uncertain, echoed his teammate’s comments and believes Force India can maintain its position “at the front of the midfield” providing the upgrade is a success.