Force India eyeing Hulkenberg boost

Editor

Force India are hoping Nico Hulkenberg's Le Mans success will give the team a boost during this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

Hulkenberg finished eighth last time out at the Canadian Grand Prix to put the Silverstone squad firmly back in the battle for fifth place in the Constructors' Championship.

He then packed away his Force India race gear and entered the record books as the first active F1 driver in more than two decades to win Le Mans as he teamed up Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber to help Porsche to win the prestigious race.

Force India team principal Vijay Mallya hopes the team not only build on their Montreal points, but also on Hulkenberg's Le Mans triumph.

"Of course, this weekend's race is the first event to take place after Nico's incredible Le Mans victory," he said. "The 24 Hours is one of the great spectacles of motorsport: it is an amazing race that demands total commitment from drivers and cars. 

"Nico's performance displayed his immense talent and made all of us at Sahara Force India proud. I truly hope he will be boosted by this success and translate it into another great performance in Austria."

Force India have confirmed that they will launch their B-spec car ahead of the British Grand Prix, but for now they are confident they can earn more points with the current model.

"There’s been a lot of talk about the development of the VJM08 and we are still on course to introduce an important step in Silverstone next month," Mallya added. 

"In the meantime, the team has done well to squeeze more performance from our current package. The high-speed layout of Canada certainly played to the strengths of the Mercedes engine and, as Austria is regarded as another ‘power’ circuit’, I would like to think we can be in the top ten once again."