Force India to focus on 2017 in hunt for fourth

Force India principal Vijay Mallya has said that his team 'might as well' switch their focus to 2017 as they look to overtake Williams for fourth in the constructors standings.

Force India currently occupy fifth in the constructors standings, 19 points adrift of Williams who have finished third in the last two seasons.

"There's some work in progress which we couldn't bring to Silverstone but which we will introduce over the next couple of races, but that's it," he told guest at Silverstone, where he was attending his first race of the season amidst legal trouble. "We've now shifted our focus of development entirely onto the 2017 car."

"If we continue to develop the '16 car, there's no way in the world we are going to catch the Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari. So it's academic," he said. "We might as well devote all our resources to 2017 where everybody has a level playing field, start afresh and hopefully do a good job."

Force India put on a strong performance at the British Grand Prix, taking their fourth double points finish for the last five rounds, and Mallya belives that if the team keeps up the same level of performance, they should be able to overhaul Williams by the end of the season.

"We will try and finish fourth in the constructors', try and catch Williams," he told Reuters. "We gained 14 points on them today and with another 11 races to go we are only 19 behind. So, I think it's a major step forward, and I'm absolutely delighted with the result."

GB Silverstone - 10 July 2016

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