F1 | Force India, Szafnauer: “Finishing fourth two years in a row is a great result”

Otmar Szafnauer, head of operations of Force India, thanked all the team members for the work done this year: the team, in fact, managed to close 2017 with an excellent fourth place in the Constructors' Championship, behind the top three Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. Even in season 2016 the team finished in fourth position and the reconfirmation of the excellent result makes the Force India men proud of what they have achieved in these two years: "Taking fourth place in the Constructors' Championship for two consecutive years is a great result", declared Otmar Szafnauer , Chief Operating Officer of Force India, speaking on the team's official website.

“I have to thank each of the 400 team members who worked so hard to make this possible. Whether it was in the factory in UK or on the track, all contributed to the most successful season in our history. We can feel very proud of ours performance this year,” he added. “The challenges during the winter were greater, because we had to build a car that had little to do with 2016. Rule changes are always difficult, but we were able to consolidate our position and even strengthen it : This year we ended the season with over 100 points ahead of fifth place,” he recalled with great satisfaction.

The performance of the VJM10 have been growing: the scrub has been able to adapt to the new rules, to the tracks and has also managed to improve itself in terms of performance step by step. “In the second half of 2017 we made important development steps and came out as the fourth fastest team in the majority of races after the summer break, and even when we secured fourth position we were able to bring pieces of development 2018 for the car,” continued Szafnauer. Obviously the great results did not arrive suddenly and as often happens they required years of work and study: “It was a long journey and it took ten years to reach this level. The new sponsors, including the BWT, they have been instrumental in helping us take these final steps. Preparations for 2018 are continuing, we will try to enjoy a few days off for Christmas but we are already thinking about what awaits us next year,” she concluded.