Force India eyes top 3 target in 2019 - Szafnauer

Force India wants to break into the top three teams in formula one next year, according to its boss.

Actually, the Silverstone based team almost collapsed in 2018.

"Without Lawrence Stroll coming in, we would not have got to the race in August," team boss Otmar Szafnauer told Brazil’s Globo.

He said he is only just getting to know the team’s new billionaire owner.

"I’ve been in F1 for 20 years and we started talking six months ago. But I have realised we are both (North) Americans and have similar ways of looking at and reacting to things," said Szafnauer.

"He (Stroll) wants to accelerate the growth of the team to the maximum to reach the top three who are dominating."

Szafnauer said he is therefore busily restructuring the team, which may have a completely new name for 2019 and a new factory in the medium-term future.

"We want to fight for third place. I think we and Renault have a chance of getting closer to Ferrari and Mercedes in 2019," he insisted.