- Force India
Mallya proud of battle with 'great McLaren'
Vijay Mallya says Force India's battle with the "great McLaren" this year speaks volumes about the team's fighting spirit.
Despite a huge difference in resources Force India is six points ahead of McLaren, a fellow Mercedes customer, in the battle for fifth with five races remaining. Though McLaren has recovered from its slow start to the season in recent months Force India has remained competitive by comparison, something Mallya takes a great deal of pride from.
"Of course I'm loving it," Mallya said when asked about the battle. "Let's make it clear - when you race with the big boys and are ahead of them, it gives you that extra bit of a high, doesn't it? I'm a racer myself and I get excited about these things.
"I refer to McLaren as the 'great McLaren' and I truly believe i's a world championship team, so I'm not going to take them for granted. I'm going to throw everything I have at it and fight like hell and, at the end of the day, we'll see. But for a team like Force India to be engaged in such a competitive battle with a team like the great McLaren says a lot about us and I feel quite proud about it."
Despite the team's limited resources, Mallya admits the gains which can be made for 2015 by continuing to develop the car means Force India will continue to fight until the end of the current season.
"McLaren are going to fight, so we have to continue the fight to the last race. We have a few updates coming and I'm sure they have too. I don't have the budget that McLaren has - that's a known fact and something I don't have to prove or disprove. I don't know what they do or how they spend their money, but I certainly keep a tight watch on how we spend our money. I know there is another upgrade coming for later on this season and that's all part of the plan.
"The only reason I am approving this development up to the last race, which I never did before in previous seasons, is because, whatever we are doing now in terms of development, can be carried forward into next year's car. If it was full stop at the end of this season, and start again for next year, I may not have bothered to do what I am doing. But, because all the development that's happening as we speak can actually carry forward until 2015, it's also an investment in next year's car, which is why we're continuing the development."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
