Can Force India hold on to fifth place for the season?

Adrian Sutil of Germany and Force India drives onto the grid before the German Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring on July 7, 2013 in Nuerburg, Germany. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

We’re at the halfway point of the season and surprise surprise, we see Force India in fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead of even Mclaren!

Although we expected McLaren to struggle this season, following the loss of Lewis Hamiltion and technical director Paddy Lowe to Mercedes, the decline was beyond expectation.

Force India had managed to score 51 points before the British leg of the Championship, as compared to just 37 by the McLarens. With each passing race, the gap just seemed to be widening between the two teams.

Where Force India had gained this season was their advantage in their management of tyres. Their tyre-management efficacy might not have been at the same level as the Ferraris and Lotuses, but they were competitive nevertheless, with the team accumulating decent points from almost every race. In fact, in the very first race of the season at Albert Park, Australia, the returning Adrian Sutil managed to take the lead and hold it for a fair amount of time. Only in the last few laps did Sutil pit for the second time.

At the same time, the McLarens seemed to be getting worse with every race when it came to tyre management. The cars always seemed to be lacking grip, and they often pitted much earlier than others. By the time the British GP arrived, the gap between FI and McLaren had increased to 22 points.

Tyres were an issue for not just McLaren but others too. In fact, only four teams reportedly opposed changes to the tyres, while seven wanted them gone. No points in guessing where Force India stood on the issue.

The rollercoaster ride that the British GP was changed things completely for the rest of the season. Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa, Jean-Eric Vergne and Sergio Perez all suffered blowouts, forcing the tyres to be ultimately changed by Pirelli on safety grounds.

Keeping the top four teams aside, Force India seem to be the biggest loser on the back of these changes.

The effects of these tyre changes were immediate. A team in which both cars made it consistently made it into Q3 had ended up missing it entirely at Germany, finishing the race in 11^th and 13^th.

The McLarens, on the other hand, who had been consistently missing Q3, ended up in 6^th and 8^th place in the race.

Looking at the Free Practise and Qualifying times of the Hungarian GP as well, it seems this trend is set to continue for the next couple of races at least. It remains to be seen whether the Force Indias can prove their mettle and bounce back from the recent disappointments. They should not let the hard work from the start of the season be ruined.

Force India have been one of the most consistent midfield teams over the past few seasons, and their progress is all the more remarkable in the absence of a big budget the other front-runners have. The other midfields have been struggling with low budgets. HRT went out of business at the end of last season, and Sauber have only managed to secure their future by literally selling off one of their seats for next season.

In such a context, what Force India have managed to do this season is incredible, having beaten a much bigger team in McLaren so consistently. It would be truly harsh on the team if they were to miss out on fifth place and drop down the rankings thanks to no fault of theirs.

As such, they are a beacon of light to the midfield and bottom ranked teams, so let’s hope they indeed hold on to fifth place for the season.