Greater Noida: Sahara Force India driver Adrian Sutil hoped their performance in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix will bring smile on the face of the team principal and managing director Vijay Mallya.
Force India bagged two points as Sutil raced to a ninth place finish. Team-mate Paul Di Resta ended at 13th place.
"It was quite a good race and I think we can be happy with the two points today. In the early laps I struggled with the rear of the car, with a bit of oversteer, and could not hold off the Toro Rossos who were a bit quicker on Sunday," Sutil said.
"But in the second and third stints the car balance improved and I was able to keep the Sauber (Perez) behind me in the closing laps. We were also fortunate that Buemi retired, which gave me another position. I think ninth was probably the maximum today and I hope Vijay will have a smile on his face tonight."
Di Resta said they opted for an aggressive strategy for the home race.
"We went for a fairly aggressive strategy today - starting on the hard tyre - and it was always the plan to come in early with the hope of a safety car," he said.
"It's good that Adrian has picked up a couple of points, which are valuable for the championship."
Mallya said he is delighted that Force India will be remembered for logging points in the inaugural Indian GP.
"Today's Indian Grand Prix was a great event and I hope that all the fans enjoyed the day as much as I did. We targeted points and that's exactly what we delivered with Adrian's excellent drive to ninth. As for Paul, he performed well, but we went very aggressive with the strategy to cover the chance of a safety car. In the end it didn't work out, but we needed to cover our bases," he said.
"These two points are important for our championship battle and I'm delighted that Sahara Force India will go down in the record books for scoring points in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix."
"This sport doesn't run on expectations. It is a very competitive sport. I am satisfied with the way things went."
Mallya, reiterated, that he will reveal his decision about the drivers for the next season only before the Abu Dhabi race.
"Regarding my decision about the 2012 drivers, I have said this week that I will give an answer to the drivers before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. I already have three excellent drivers, who are all in the running, and the decision ahead will not be an easy one."
"The Abu Dhabi track should suit us. We are still ahead of Toro Rosso and are confident of finishing sixth in the season."
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