Listening to Sergio Perez, you’d assume Force India is in the midst of a nightmare campaign, yet the reality couldn’t be further from the Mexican’s rhetoric.
Lying fourth in the constructors’ standings, the Silverstone-based squad has arguably been the most consistent outfit to date, and its rivals should be concerned for the balance of the season.
Perez, who foresaw the team as “the seventh, eighth fastest” following the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, where he finished seventh, elucidated that “compared to the midfield, we are probably behind all of them”. Though he has belied this statement to glean points at each of the four events – culminating in sixth at Russia – and now sits seventh in the drivers’ standings.
The Mexican believes that “we have been doing miracles to be where we are”, contending that engine supplier Mercedes “only have the advantage to Honda”, which, considering the factory outfit’s two victories, must be taken with a grain of salt.
The 27-year-old entered his fourth season at a career crossroads, and one can surmise that it’s in his interest to push the narrative that he is outdriving mediocre machinery in advancing his cause to potential suitors. Yet there is nothing peculiar about Force India punching above its weight.
They claimed fourth in the constructors in 2016, comprising multiple podiums. Capitalising on opportunities has become a specialty in recent seasons, and while rivals either side in the standings, Red Bull and Williams, have endured their share of hardship, these results can’t be dismissed as fortuitous.
Qualifying has never been a particularly strong department for the team, despite this they remain competitive on Sundays. Notwithstanding the outfit’s historically strong return at the venue, Perez’s storming drive from 18th on the grid to seventh at Bahrain demonstrated that tyre management and strategy optimisation are considerable assets, as they have been on an ongoing basis.
It’d be remiss not to take into account Esteban Ocon’s efforts in propping up the team’s fortunes, having also secured points at each event to date. The Frenchman has already vindicated his promotion, while establishing himself as a long-term proposition for Mercedes.
Though he ‘only’ claimed a solitary point at the opening three races, he has overcome weak Saturday performances to salvage results and an improved outing at Russia to line up in 10th was reciprocated by a career-best seventh place behind Perez, amounting to “a very smooth weekend”.
His predecessor, Nico Hülkenberg, could be considered relatively erratic for an individual of his reputation throughout his tenure, and once the 20-year-old has come to grips with the car he should be causing Perez headaches soon enough.
A further consideration is Force India’s tendency to improve as the season develops, and while Red Bull’s shortcomings have been laid bare at the flyaway events, there is scope for them to reign in the Milton Keynes outfit should its chassis upgrade fail to fire at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
This can’t be mistaken for complacency however, with Renault developing nicely, shaping as a competitive outfit by the conclusion of the season. What Force India enjoys over the Enstone outfit and for that matter, Williams, is the lack of a second driver accumulating points. If this trend ceases at coming events, those accrued to date could prove decisive to retaining fourth in the standings.
They might attract undesirable headlines for off-track happenings, yet the manner in which Force India conducts itself on track, with little fanfare though maximising every opportunity, is peerless.
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