Force India expect a strong beginning to 2nd half

Force India have earned 14 of their 26 points in the last two races and Vijay Mallya is confident that with a strong car they will just go on to improve.

Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium): After recharging their batteries with a three-week break, Force India drivers are looking to carry forward the momentum; they got in the last few races, when the second half of the Formula One season begins with the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Force India have earned 14 of their 26 points in the last two races and team principal Vijay Mallya is confident that with a strong car they will just go on to improve. "The big difference this year is that we arrive at the Belgian Grand Prix with a car that is much more complete. In the past our great strength was straight-line speed, but the car is now strong in all areas."So we enter the second half of the season in high spirits. The drivers are pushing each other hard and are extremely motivated. The car is delivering good performance and we are taking the fight to the big teams," Mallya said. At this very circuit, Force India had its first podium finish when Giancarlo Fisichella finished second in 2009. German driver Adrian Sutil is also confident of doing well at his "favourite circuit"."I think we can have another competitive weekend because the last couple of races have shown what we are capable of. We seem to have a car that is working well everywhere and our qualifying and race pace has been strong. We just need to keep up the momentum and keep picking up the points," Sutil said. "When you come to Spa you always have to keep an eye on the weather. For the last three races it feels like the rain has been following us and we should probably expect some more rain showers this weekend," Sutil added. Scott Paul Di Resta enjoyed the much needed break at the end of first half. "I spent most of the time at home with friends and family. After so much travelling it was nice to stay in the same place for a while and sleep in my own bed," the British driver said. Resta also said that he has not driven an F1 car here but is hoping to do well. "Spa is a track that has historically been strong for us. And our recent form gives us every reason to believe we can carry on where we left off in Hungary. "We know our competitors won`t have stood still, but we`re still pushing hard with development and determined to get as much performance from the car before the focus shifts to next year," Resta said. PTI