Formula One news

Mallya hopes to have silenced critics

After collecting a pole position and podium finish at Spa-Francorchamps, the Force India team has silenced any critics of Force India with another front row qualifying position for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.

While the team saw Giancarlo Fisichella replace Luca Badoer at Ferrari, the orange, white and green team invited test driver Vitantonio Liuzzi to replace his fellow countryman alongside Adrian Sutil. While Sutil has qualified in second position for his home Grand Prix, Liuzzi will start the race from a seventh position - a great comeback to F1.

For Mallya, the team's performance is not a major surprise. Speaking to the official F1 website he commented: "I've told everybody that we are trying very hard and making gradual improvements and, for sure, I wanted to prove the point that Spa was not a lucky fluke.

"The performance of the car in practice, as well as in qualifying today, shows that Spa was a hard-earned and well-deserved result; it shows that the car has improved a lot and the fact that Tonio Liuzzi put the car into Q3 to start the race in seventh position, after not driving a Formula One car for almost two years, fully justifies my selection. I hope that all the critics of Force India are now completely silenced!

"I always pointed out that last year we basically were running the old Spyker car and that Force India really started with the beginning of this season. Even though the name of the team was Force India in 2008, it was not our car. I consider 2009 as the first season of Force India in Formula One.

"This car is designed by us, is built by us and it has always been a competitive car, even since Melbourne. Unlike the Spyker, it hasn't always been running at the back. It is simply a hugely competitive sport that takes time. It has taken other teams years to get to the front. The fact that we have done it in thirty races I am personally very proud of.

"I've made a lot of management changes in this team, I gave all the young engineers a chance - we don't have an equivalent of a Mike Gascoyne any more. The success is a true team effort and not the success of a single individual; that success supports my belief, my guys, my confidence and I am very proud. This is not my achievement but that of the whole team."

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