Mallya: The car has obviously got solid, strong race pace

After a double points finish for Sahara Force India in Australia, a repeat performance looked to be on the cards until wheel nut dramas force both cars into retirement. Nevertheless it’s been an encouraging start to the season for the team.

How disappointing was the double retirement in Malaysia ?

“It was terribly disappointing. The cars were quick and the drivers felt good. Before the race both of them came to me and said they were extremely pleased with the car, it had great pace, and we were really hoping for a strong double points finish. But then this new wheel nut let us down, and there was no way we could fix it during the race, so sadly we had to retire both cars. It was most unexpected because the same new wheel nut didn’t give us any trouble in Melbourne."

And frustrating that it was caused by a wheel nut and not something more complex ?

“There’s so much technology in an F1 car, so many things potentially more fragile than a wheel nut, all of which worked perfectly. And then you encounter a totally unexpected problem. It’s disappointing, particularly when you know you are sitting on a car that’s very competitive.”

Was it encouraging to see Adrian demonstrate the pace of the car by being third in FP3 and fastest in Q1 ?

“Very, very encouraging. Adrian has come back to Formula One like a new man. He’s out there to prove a point. He’s giving it his best and he’s obviously very talented. He’s doing a good job. We took a long time deciding about the seat and we wanted to make absolutely sure we made the right choice. I think after the test in Barcelona we knew he had it in him, and we took the decision shortly thereafter.”

You were not in Australia. How did it feel watching the car lead the race so impressively ?

“It was great to see Adrian lead the Grand Prix with Vettel chasing him. The car has obviously got solid, strong race pace and it’s an improvement over last year’s car, which is encouraging. So we have a strong driver line-up, the right technical package and it’s all working well together. It’s just that small unanticipated problems like Malaysia can make for a disappointing day !”

Nevertheless are you happy to have logged a seventh and eighth from the first two races ?

“It’s a reasonable start. I was actually a trifle disappointed in Australia because the last set of supersoft tyres that Adrian used went off very rapidly, but then they came back. That’s what cost him time and position. The way he was going I hoped he would have finished as high as fifth, but seventh and eighth was good. Looking at the relative pace of the cars that finished in the top ten in Malaysia, we were quicker than Lotus, so we could have had another double points finish. But it was not to be.”

Any thoughts on the next race in China, where there is always a good chance of rain ?

“Our drivers are pretty comfortable in the wet, and the car seems to perform well on the wet tyres. Adrian has always been branded a driver who likes the wet, although even when it’s dry he’s very, very quick and competitive. When I first took over this team we always hoped for rain, but now whether it’s wet or dry, whether it’s soft, supersoft, intermediate or wet tyres we have a good machine. I guess whether it’s wet or dry, the car should go well in China.”