Team principal Vijay Mallya has called on Force India to act quickly to ensure they are not left behind in this season's championship fight. Mallya believes his team must improve as soon as possible if they are to keep up with their traditional midfield rivals Sauber and Williams.
"Formula One is hard to predict at the moment," said Mallya. "It's seriously competitive with seven different winners in seven races, all of which is great for the sport. But while it's hard to predict, we still need to lift our game, especially if we want to target fifth or sixth in the constructors' championship. Yes, we've had one of our best starts to a season ever in terms of points scored, but the teams around us have also performed exceptionally well."
Although the VJM05 has shown plenty of promise and the team have clinched more than twice the number of points they had scored at this stage last year, drivers Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg are yet to finish a race higher than sixth.
Sauber, meanwhile, have taken two podiums in Malaysia and Canada, whilst Williams claimed victory in Spain. And the achievements of their midfield rivals have left Force India down in eighth in the constructors' table, 30 points adrift of sixth-placed Sauber and 16 behind Williams in seventh.
"The teams that we have been comparable with in the past few years have been on the podium, and I'm sure our time will come, as long as we get things right," added Mallya. "It's something we need to do sooner rather than later because we are quickly approaching the midway point of the season. I hope we can recapture our form in Valencia, return to the points and demonstrate our potential."
Force India will be back on track - alongside their rivals - at this weekend's 2012 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe, which will take place in the Spanish city of Valencia from June 22-24.
Former Grand Prix winner and current Ferrari tester Giancarlo Fisichella was part of the winning team in the GTE Pro class at the famous Le Mans 24 hour race over the weekend. Fisichella, fellow F1 veteran Gianmaria Bruni and team mate Toni Vilander brought their Ferrari 458 GTC home three laps clear of their nearest rivals in the famous endurance event.
Their victory was all the more remarkable given that a practice crash for Fisichella earlier in the week had caused extensive damage to the car, requiring his AF Corse team to replace the chassis ahead of the race.
"This is the most important race of the year and at the end of it, we achieved our objective," said the Italian. "The win was especially down to the incredible efforts of the AF Corse guys who had to change the chassis after the accident on Wednesday, delivering a car that was better than anyone could have expected. I did not think I would be making it out on track for the final 20 minutes of qualifying, however thanks to their efforts, the miracle happened."
It was also good weekend for Ferrari's F1 rivals Williams, whose Hybrid Power division saw their technology help the Audi R18 e-tron Quattro piloted by Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler make history by becoming the first hybrid-powered vehicle to take outright victory at Le Mans.
The race was less successful for another former F1 driver, Anthony Davidson, who was hospitalised with two broken vertebrae after a slower car moved across on his LMP1 class Toyota, sending it airborne and into the barriers.
"Instantly it spun the car, pivoted round to the left, then took off and turned upside down," explained Davidson. "At that point I felt I was in an aeroplane out of control. I knew how close the barriers were, and travelling at that speed I was going to be there in no time. That part of the crash was pretty petrifying.
"It crashed back down to the ground, I felt an almighty punch up my spine when the car hit back down on four wheels. I still had my eyes closed and my hands off the wheels, in the brace position. Half a second after that I had the forward impact into the barrier."
Davidson, an F1 television pundit with UK broadcasters Sky, is expected to remain in hospital until Wednesday.
After crossing the Atlantic from Canada, the Formula One calendar returns to the teams' home continent - and HRT's home country - for the 2012 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe next weekend. The Valencia Street Circuit is made up of long straights and slow corners; overtaking is a difficult challenge; and there isn't much grip, especially towards the beginning of the weekend. The high temperatures are another key factor. Those involved discuss their prospects…
Jenson Button, McLaren
2011 Qualifying - 6th, 2011 Race - 6th
"Canada was just one of those weekends where things didn't come together - after some difficult races, I really needed the track time on Friday to find a clearer direction with the set-up, and, unfortunately, that didn't happen due to a number of technical issues. And I think that set the tone for the rest of the weekend: we lacked the data we needed to tackle the race and we struggled. Still, there were important lessons to be learned from those issues, and we addressed everything back at MTC once we'd returned from Canada in a bid to get a clearer direction for Valencia next weekend. A day like that is enormously productive and I think we covered a lot of ground.
"The last few races haven't delivered the results I'd like, but there are still 13 races to go. We've had seven different winners and no clear championship leader has emerged, so I'll be looking to get a decent result under my belt next weekend in order to get my title bid back on track. I know just how strong Vodafone McLaren Mercedes can be. Valencia is a track I really enjoy; I've already won on a street circuit this year so I'm definitely optimistic about having a great weekend and picking up the momentum again in the title fight."
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2011 Qualifying - 3rd, 2011 Race - 4th
"My win in Montreal was obviously an extremely satisfying moment for me - but, actually, it does very little to alter things in the world championship. Firstly, while it's always pleasing to be leading the championship, I'm only two points ahead of Fernando [Alonso] - which is nothing, particularly when there are a handful of really strong drivers all separated by a couple of points, so there's still everything to play for.
"Secondly, the intensity of this year's championship means there's so little breathing space - we may have won in Canada, but there's an enormous amount of pressure to keep racking up good results at every Grand Prix. I think that consistency, rather than individual strong results, will be the key to winning this world championship, so we need to back it up in Valencia with another strong result.
"The circuit is quite tough - it's a very technical track, with lots of slow- to medium-speed corners that require good traction and set-up as well as lots of precision. Towards the end of the lap, the track gathers speed and opens up, the sweepers leading to the pits are actually incredibly fast, and they're all about correct placement of the car to ensure you're well placed for the following corner. That's probably the most satisfying part of the lap.
"People are always asking me to predict what will happen at the next race and I always tell them it's really difficult to make an accurate prediction - but I'll be heading to Valencia feeling super-motivated to get another strong result and maintain my momentum before we head into Silverstone and the Santander British Grand Prix."
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
"Victory in Montreal last weekend was extremely satisfying, and, while you're only as good as your last result in F1, it's done nothing to quell our determination ahead of next weekend's European Grand Prix - which has traditionally been an extremely tough event. The city itself is an exciting edgy blend of the classical and the ultra-contemporary, and, as such, a perfect locale for one of Formula One's newest races.
"Given that the delta between ourselves, Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG and Red Bull Racing is so narrow, we'll once again be pushing hard on both our operational and technical fronts to ensure we stay at the front. As always, we aim to bring at least an additional one-tenth [of a second] lap time benefit to each race, and we're pushing hard to ensure we can over-deliver on that on as regular a basis as possible. It may sound like a negligible increment, but it could prove to be the difference between winning and losing the world championship. It's certainly feasible that this year's title could be won by a driver who scores only two or three Grand Prix wins, but who reinforces those victories with the most consistently solid approach. So, whereas in previous years, there was an emphasis on the 'big' results, this year it seems that minor points placings could provide a decisive edge in the title battle."
Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
"Valencia is a street circuit, but the layout is not like Albert Park, Monaco or Montreal. It's definitely the fastest track of these four. It's likely to be hot and we seem to go well in warm conditions so that's what we'll be hoping for. Qualifying is going to be very, very important again here. Obviously, there will be an advantage to starting on the clean side of the track as the streets are only used as a circuit once each year. It's not an easy place to overtake and we'll have to see how much help the DRS will be. Valencia is all about being very consistent. It's so easy to lose time with small mistakes. I love winning and that's what I'm always trying for. I've never won in Valencia, so it's a good target. Last time I raced in Valencia I finished in third after starting from sixth on the grid which was not too bad."
Romain Grosjean, Lotus
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
"I made my Formula One debut here in 2009, so it brings back good memories and it's a circuit I like anyway. There's always a great atmosphere too; the city centre is obviously very close, and the
America's Cup harbour is a really nice place to go. The track itself it quite interesting; there are a few second / third gear corners, some high speed sectors, heavy braking zones and usually good weather too so on paper it's a circuit that could suit us quite well. Hopefully this will be the case!
"Strategy will be quite different here I think; it won't be one stop like in Montreal that's for sure! It's usually been very hot here in the past so combined with the rough track that's often led to a three-stop strategy. Hopefully we'll have consistent conditions throughout the weekend so we can get as much experience as possible before the race.
"I had a podium in the first GP2 race here in 2008 and was leading the second race until somebody took me out! Then I managed to win in 2011, so it's a circuit I'm comfortable with for sure. It definitely helps to know the track already as it usually takes less time to get up to speed and you have a rough idea of where the braking points, turn ins and so on will be. Of course, Formula One is always a bit different but at least I have some guidelines going into the weekend.
"We have to go into every weekend aiming for a win; approaching a race in any other way is like putting yourself on the back foot from the start. I'm mainly hoping for an improvement in qualifying, a good start and then we'll see what happens from there. It's great to be fighting at the front and that's always what we want to do, but we're in a tight battle this season so of course the most important thing is to score some good points again for the team. If we have a strong weekend from the start then I think we are capable of fighting for a podium or even a win. We'll see after qualifying where we are; hopefully we can get another good result!"
Eric Boullier, Lotus team principal
"The tyres will be different, with the soft and medium compounds available. We'll have to get used to these again. This said the track temperature should be high, the surface is more abrasive than
Montreal, and there are also more corners per lap. All this could suit the E20 quite well. This said, we need to improve our qualifying pace and also the way the car performs when the temperature drops. We've got some ideas already. Some of them will be implemented in Valencia and we'll see how it goes."
James Allison, Lotus technical director
"Valencia is not exactly famous for challenging corners, but it definitely has a few more than Canada. The tarmac on the streets of Valencia is a little big rougher and it tends to be roasting hot at this time of year; these are all factors which tend to suit us. Montreal was one of the circuits I had concerns about in terms of playing to the strengths of the E20, but we ran pretty well there.
Hopefully with Valencia being more in our direction we can produce another good result.
"We're generally looking forward to the summer, but having said that it's not as if we need the temperature to be scorching. Forty degrees track temperature, as we'd expect to see in Valencia, is not a roasting hot track by any means; it can get a lot warmer than that. I honestly don't believe there's been a race this year where we've been incapable of getting a podium on merit. Let's hope Valencia proves to be the same."
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2011 Qualifying - 1st, 2011 Race - 1st
"In Valencia, we drive an average of more than 200kph, which means it's one of the fastest street circuits in Formula One. Overtaking is possible, but only with some risk. The reason is that the air turbulence created by cars driving closely behind each other doesn't disappear as it normally would due to the high walls around the track; you lose grip and, in some extreme cases, you have to lift the throttle. The start-finish straight in Valencia is special because it's not very long, it turns into a fast right corner which we take at 290kph."
Mark Webber, Red Bull
2011 Qualifying - 2nd, 2011 Race - 3rd
"Obviously it's very difficult to predict how we might go in Valencia, as we've clearly seen with seven winners and plenty of different podiums. Our main goal is to improve our positions in both championships, so personally for me in the Drivers' Championship and of course the team is looking to keep a good margin in the Constructors'. I know everyone in Milton Keynes has been working incredibly hard in between the two races."
Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber
2011 Qualifying - 14th, 2011 Race - 16th
"In Valencia it is usually very hot. I personally like that, but it is difficult to say what it means for the car and the tyres. It will be tough, that much is certain. Tyre management will be the key, together with a good race strategy. The street circuit also requires a decent amount of downforce for the car. You are always quite close to the walls, but after our last two races in Monaco and Montreal this is nothing new. Overtaking is not easy but not impossible either. In 2010 it was actually good fun. Valencia as a city is a nice destination by many measure, I would happily choose it for my holidays. By the way, you can also get the best fresh squeezed orange juice there. However, my target is a strong qualifying as well as a strong race."
Sergio Perez, Sauber
2011 Qualifying - 16th, 2011 Race - 11th
"I enjoyed the Montreal result very much and I want more of that. I like the track in Valencia a lot and also the atmosphere during the race weekend, as we are quite close to the fans. I don't have the best memories of my Formula One debut race in Valencia, as it was last year and a very difficult one for me. I was returning to racing after my heavy shunt in Monaco and, in hindsight, I have to admit I don't think I was fit enough. I didn't feel well at all. The Valencia street circuit has quite long straights with hard braking into the corners, and what we have learnt from Montreal will be important for that."
Giampaolo Dall'Ara, Sauber head of track engineering
"Valencia is a street circuit, but not a typical one, because the surface is very smooth, and the kerbs are not very high. In addition, the aerodynamic efficiency is significantly more important than, for example, in Monaco or Singapore, and there are proper run-off areas. Most of the corners are slow, but you cannot ignore the level of top speed. As a result of this layout, braking stability and traction are very important. In Valencia we have to expect high temperatures at this time of the year, so the tarmac can get very hot. Pirelli is supplying us with the medium and the soft compound tyres, which have changed a bit since last year and may need us to look at a slightly different strategy for them. Rear degradation could be an issue. Overtaking is not easy on this track, therefore qualifying is of particular importance. The car is basically unchanged since Montreal, however, we might run a higher level of downforce."
Michael Schumacher, Mercedes
2011 Qualifying - 8th, 2011 Race - 17th
"Our entire focus is now on the race in Valencia, and I am sure that everybody's motivation is even stronger because the weekend in Canada didn't go as well as we had hoped. Our motto in the last few days has been to roll our sleeves up and focus on the job in hand; everybody in the team has taken that approach to heart, so we can travel to Valencia in an optimistic mood. The harbour area is particularly nice and, given its location, the circuit is also really interesting, so let's see how we can perform there. You can still feel some of the atmosphere from the America's Cup in Valencia, which makes this race a special event that we always enjoy taking part in."
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
2011 Qualifying - 7th, 2011 Race - 7th
"Valencia is a pretty cool city and it's always nice to visit there. The track is another street circuit but it's quite a unique one as it is quicker and has a more open feel than somewhere like Monaco or Singapore. The layout is also kind of like Montreal so it should be a circuit which suits our car. I was at the factory this week and I know how hard everyone is working to improve the car, so we will hope for a strong weekend in Valencia to repay all of their efforts."
Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal
"The calendar returns to Europe next weekend with our visit to the Valencia Street Circuit in Spain. The performance of our car and our tyre management were generally good in Canada, however our competitiveness was compromised by reliability problems and mistakes.
This is a disappointment that is deeply felt by everyone in our team, and we have been working hard to ensure we understand the reasons and deal with them. Achieving zero-defect reliability is our highest priority. The opportunities available if we can give both drivers a reliable car and a clean weekend are clear."
Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"The European Grand Prix will be the third consecutive race on a temporary circuit after Monaco and Canada. Seven corners are taken below 100 km/h but straight line speeds are similar to Canada, and the cars brake from over 285 km/h to under 100 km/h on five different occasions around the lap. The weather is usually hot and sunny, which is naturally reflected in high track temperatures. Nico's race and his lap times in Canada, where track temperatures exceeded 40 degrees, showed that our car can cope well with such extreme conditions when running the appropriate set-up. Our priority for the next race is to achieve the same standard of reliability for Michael's car that we have seen so far this year with Nico's, who has completed all racing laps so far this season. Since his win at the Chinese Grand Prix on 15 April, no other driver has scored more points than Nico. The target is to continue that trend."
Pedro de la Rosa, HRT
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
"Just like in Barcelona, I'm really looking forward to racing in front of our home fans in Valencia. At the Valencia Street Circuit we will encounter high air and track temperatures so the brakes will be put through their paces once again, but we're confident we can make the necessary modifications to overcome the problems we experienced in Canada. Valencia has long straights but overtaking isn't easy and it is a high-downforce track. I think we can do quite well here, although it's not as favourable to our car as Canada, because there are a lot of braking areas and slow corners which are good for us. We're looking forward to putting in a good performance in front of our fans and we want to continue with our progress from the last few races, where we've been at a good standard, but here we want to confirm this improvement in the race."
Narain Karthikeyan, HRT
2011 Qualifying - 24th, 2011 Race - 24th
"Valencia will be our third street circuit in a row, and our team's second home race. It is our second visit to Spain in just about five weeks but the circuit is as different as it could be compared to Barcelona. It shares some characteristics with Montreal and Monte Carlo, like emphasis on low-speed traction so I expect our car to do well here. Apart from that, it is a beautiful place and weather is pretty hot, just like India, but the track itself isn't a huge challenge. Yes the walls are close but the adrenaline factor isn't close to Monaco or even Montreal. But on the back of the promise we showed in Canada, I'm looking forward to the race and hopefully we'll have a chance to build on it this time."
Luis Perez-Sala, HRT team principal
"We're looking forward to racing in Valencia, as it will be the second time we do so at home this season. In Canada we were quick and performed well but were unable to finish the race. In Valencia we want to confirm this progress and achieve a good result, plus doing so in front of the Spanish public is even more special. I think that the characteristics of this circuit adapt well to our car and I hope we have good reliability and finish the race with a positive result."
