Force India Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer believes his squad can reel in and overhaul McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship across the rest of 2018.
Force India’s re-birth as a new entry resulted in it losing the 59 points it had gathered prior to the summer break, relegating it to the foot of the standings.
Force India leapt up to seventh in the two post-summer rounds after bagging a haul of 32 across Belgium and Italy, but did not score in Singapore, which included a clash between its two drivers.
McLaren holds sixth overall, on 58 points, 26 clear of Force India, with six Grands Prix remaining in 2018, and Szafnauer believes catching the Woking-based squad is within reach.
“Well, if we continue to do a good job and don’t crash into each other, I think realistically we should be targeting at least sixth in the Constructors’ Championship,” he said.
“It is attainable but not easy to do. I think [to finish] above that it will take some luck on our part or some misfortune on somebody else’s part.”
Szafnauer also added that Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon had been reminded of their responsibilities after the Singapore contact.
“It’s going to be no different to how it’s been – it’s just I think they forgot, so we’re going to remind them that they have to give each other enough room, especially on lap one and even leave margin for error,” he said.
“So, if something does happen, they don’t run into each other. We’ll remind them of that and show them how that can be done.”
Perez and Ocon placed seventh and ninth respectively during second practice for the Russian Grand Prix.
