Force India - A force to reckon with in 2014

If there’s one team other than Mercedes which is relishing a dream start to the 2014 season it is undoubtedly Sahara Force India. It is in fact the best start ever for the Silverstone team in it’s seven year existence in Formula One. That they are powered by the Mercedes engine for 2014 is obviously a key factor, but then the team has worked hard to live up to the expectations of the fans. With a new driver line-up from the one in 2013, the team was considered to be a force to reckon with in the mid-field, with Nico Hulkenberg making a return to his old team and Sergio Perez ready to revive his Formula One fortunes.

Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg offer an exciting pairing for Force India.

The team was one of the consistent runners during the pre-season tests in Jerez and Bahrain and the results are now there for everyone to see. They are currently in second place in the constructor’s Championship after Mercedes, and Hulkenberg, the underrated and ever consistent German, is third in the driver’s table. Sergio Perez, after being discarded by McLaren last year, has bounced back to show that he has the talent to survive in Formula One, and is currently in 9th in the points table.

In Australia, Hulkenberg qualified 7th, while Perez qualified 16th. By the end of the race, both drivers ensured a double points finish by securing a creditable 6th and 10th positions respectively, at an eventful race in Melbourne. The Malaysian GP was a tough one for Vijay Mallya owned team as Perez couldn’t start his race due to a gearbox problem after qualifying in 14th. Hulkenberg was at his consistent best qualifying 7th and finishing 5th in the tropical heat of Sepang.

Sergio Perez finished on the podium with a brilliant driver for Force India in Bahrain.

Bahrain had been a decent hunting ground in the past for team Force India where they had managed to finish in the points ine the previous editions, and 2014 only got better. Perez finished on the podium after a brilliant qualifying session that saw him start fifth on the grid and finish the race third ahead of his teammate and Daniel Ricciardo. The last time that happened for the Indian team was way back in 2009 when Italian Giancarlo Fisichella finished in second place in Belgium after starting from an unexpected pole position. For Perez it was his fourth finish on the podium after three podium finishes for Sauber in 2012. Hulkenberg was brilliant as ever as he finished in a second consecutive 5th position despite qualifying 12th.

The 2014 season looks to be a promising one for Force India as the Formula One caravan moves to China. But then the team has worked hard for it. One of the key reasons that has contributed to the success is that they started preparing for the biggest changes in Formula One very early during last season. As such, their comfortable start last year was affected by the tyre change midway through the season and a lacklustre finish from Paul Di eResta. Much of the hard work by the engineers in the factory was seen gaining fruit during pre-season testing, despite reliability issues, as the team went out with long runs in Jerez and Bahrain. As it turned out, both Perez and Hulkenberg topped the timesheets at some point during testing.

It is a dream start for the Mercedes-powered Force India and things look promising for them in the races to come. With updates and tweaks to be made to the current car and setup, Force India fans would be hoping the team only gets better from here on and challenges the big boys for points and podiums.