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Mallya expects 'healthy rivalry' between Force India drivers

Vijay Mallya: "I believe that we will get better results in the long run by having two drivers pushing each other on" © Sutton Images

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• Drivers:
• Paul di Resta
• |
• Nico Hülkenberg
• |
• Vijay Mallya

• Teams:
• Racing Point

Force India boss Vijay Mallya is looking forward to a healthy rivalry developing between his two drivers this year.

Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg, who will start their first race as team-mates on Sunday, are both entering their second year as race drivers in Formula One, although Hulkenberg spent a year as a test driver last season. Mallya is expecting the Force India duo to get the most out of the new VJM05 and the most out of each other.

"Driver-wise I'm extremely excited by our line-up this year," he said. "Nico and Paul are both young and hungry, and will ensure we squeeze every last thousandth from the car. There will be some healthy in-house rivalry, too, which will be fascinating to watch, and I believe that we will get better results in the long run by having two drivers pushing each other on."

Mallya believes the new VJM05 is the best car his team has produced.

"From our side there is no doubt that Andrew Green and his technical team have done an outstanding job to deliver a well-balanced car," he said. "I would even go as far as saying the VJM05 is the best engineered car we have produced and the detail of the design is beautiful. It's a car we believe can help us take another step forward.

"As for expectations, I remain cautious on making predictions, simply because there are so many unknowns. Our analysis suggests that we could see one of the closest grids in years, especially in the upper part of the midfield. Even so, our stated goal remains the same - to see Sahara Force India continue progressing and challenge the established teams that lie ahead of us."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.