Up and ready

How good Force India will be this season? Only time will tell but a brief interaction with their drivers — Paul Di Resta and Adrian Sutil — suggests it’s going to a step up from the last one.

That doesn’t mean Force India will challenge the likes of Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes day-in and day-out. It means it will fare better than its seventh-place finish in the constructors’ standing in 2012.

“It’s very early to talk about the entire season but what we have seen in winter testing suggests the car has moved forward and not backwards. We have a good understanding about it. What matters is how it will perform next weekend (at Australian Grand Prix),” said Di Resta, who finished 14th in the championship last season.

Di Resta and his new partner Sutil were in the city for a brief stint on their way to Melbourne, where the Formula One season kicks off on March 17.

It’s a crucial season for both Di Resta and Sutil. For Di Resta, it’s about furthering his claim for a spot in the top team. For Sutil, it’s about proving he’s not a spent force after a one-year hiatus. And, their eagerness to prove themselves will, in turn, benefit the team’s fortunes.

Di Resta, who was linked with a move to Ferrari last season, feels concerns raised by some of the drivers regarding tyre degradation during test sessions will help Force India. “If you look at the last season, mine was the only car that managed to finish the race in two stops in Bahrain and one in Valencia. We can manage the tyres as well as anybody. It gives us a dimension and an opportunity to score over others,” Di Resta said.

Sutil, too, is aiming big. “My goal is to be better than in 2011, when I finished ninth. My mind is set for some good performance. I am ready for podium and I want to achieve that,” said the 30-year-old. He added that with teams still searching for the right combination in the first few races, “there is always a chance of coming up with a good result”.

Besides their battles against their rivals, Sutil and Di Resta are quite keen on taking on each other. “Adrian and I can go head-to-head. I’m really looking forward to it. He is a competitor on track and I want to come on top of him in the championship. But the end goal will be similar for us — to secure best result for the team,” said Di Resta.

@rajeshpansare