Belgium 2011 - GP Preview - Force India Mercedes

Dr. Vijay Mallya, Team Principal: “I always enjoy coming to Spa. Not only is it an evocative and historic venue, it’s also the scene of our greatest success to date and I have many happy memories of our podium two years ago.

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. The proof of that can be seen in our recent results with one car in Q3 at the last four races and 14 points from the last two.

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. It was hard to imagine we would be in this position after our slow start to the year, but I never stopped believing. When you consider how competitive Formula One is, everyone in the team can be proud of where we are.

We’re well aware there is much hard work ahead to maintain this and we still have a big task facing us in the constructors’ championship. But following the August break we come back refreshed and ready to deliver again this weekend.”

Adrian Sutil: “I always say that Spa is my favourite circuit of the year. I just love the place. There’s nowhere else like it and the range of corners feel so impressive in a Formula One car. I think all the drivers have a big smile on their face when they come back to Spa.

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.

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.”

Paul Di Resta: “It feels good to be going back racing after a three-week break. I enjoyed the time off, which gave me a chance to recharge my batteries and switch off from Formula One for a while. 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 result in Hungary was the best way to end the first part of the season. There have been a few races where things didn’t go our way so it felt good to get the result we felt we deserved. It helped make up for some of the bad luck we’ve had over the last couple of months.

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.

Spa is not a track that I’ve raced at much before. I drove there in Formula 3 seven years ago, but I think it will be a completely different experience in a Formula One car. It’s one of the best tracks in the world and I’m excited to be going back there.”