"Sixth place finish is our priority"

"Sixth place finish is our priority"

Force India team principal Vijay Mallya said their priority now is to cling on to the sixth position in the constructor's championship.

"We certainly want to hang on to sixth place in the World Championship, and not let Williams get past us. That clearly is a priority," he said ahead of the Sunday night's Singapore Grand Prix.

"For personal reasons we'd love to do well in Singapore as well, there's a huge Indian community, a huge amount of excitement. Force India would love to score a result that consolidates our position in the championship on what we consider to be our second 'home' territory," Mallya said.

"We were of course all hoping to score some points in Monza, but we were very unlucky in qualifying.

"Yet with so much to play for in this part of the season we can't look backwards at missed opportunities. We have to make the most of the chances coming up," Mallya insisted.

"Points have got to be the aim this time. Williams had a great event in Italy and really closed the gap with us, so we need as many points as we can.

"There are only a couple of overtaking places so qualifying is crucial and we'll be looking to get the whole package right from practice so that we can optimise our position for the start," the German said.

Sutil's fellow driver Vitantonio Liuzzi too said that they would go into Sunday's race with only sixth-place finish in mind.

"With this in mind we can go to Singapore knowing we are still very competitive and can take the fight to Williams for sixth," Liuzzi said.

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"Dream come true" for vijay Mallya

"Dream come true" for vijay Mallya

India's inclusion in next year's Formula One calendar was a "dream come true" for the Force India owner Vijay Mallya.

"As Team Principal of India's very first F1 team - Force India and in my capacity as Chairman of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India and a member of the FIA World Motor Sports Council, this is a dream come true," Dr Mallya said in a statement about the development.

"As an Indian, I feel proud and walk tall amongst the world's motor sports community. There are a maximum of 20 F1 Grand Prix races worldwide each year and it is a matter of pride that India is on the list," Dr Mallya pointed out.

"I would like to record my appreciation for the bold initiative taken by the Jaypee Group in establishing a greenfield F1 race track at Noida. From the regular reports I have received, construction is in full progress and the track with considerable supporting infrastructure will be ready well in time for the 2011 event," he said.

"India's economic growth, young and aspirational demographic and the growing popularity of F1 in the country make it one of the most attractive future destinations for a high technology-driven and fantastically competitive sport like F1 where both man and machine are tested to the absolute limit," he added.

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