Force India boss Vijay Mallya has called on his team to focus on scoring points in the final round of the season to shore up 6th in the constructors standings, saying that he was not taking their position "for granted".
The Indian team head to the season finale in Brazil with a strong 15 point lead over Sauber in the fight for sixth place, and barring a fluke result for the Swiss team, their position seems secure.But after the team missed out on sixth place in the championship by a single point in their fight with Williams last season, Mallya has insisted that he is still keeping the team focused on scoring points.
"I still remember what happened last year when we missed out on sixth place by just one point. We certainly head to Brazil in a very strong position, but I've learned that you should never take anything for granted," he said in the team preview of the race.
He added: "After a long season I would love to sign off the year in style with both my cars in the points."
But he also allowed himself to celebrate the team's successes so far in 2011, saying that it had been the team's most "complete" campaign since he took them over at the start of 2008.
"I think 2011 has been our most complete season yet," he bragged, "We've developed a car that has been strong in all areas and we've given some of the bigger teams a run for their money.
"I'm proud of what we have achieved, which is a testament to the dedication and commitment of all the team members."
He added: "If we can secure sixth in the championship this weekend, it will be a key milestone in the history of this team because the competitiveness of the Formula One grid is as intense as I can remember."
Meanwhile, Adrian Sutil said that he was sure that the team could be a points contender in Brazil, after he took an 8th place finish last time out in Abu Dhabi.
"In Abu Dhabi we achieved the maximum because the cars ahead of us were too quick, so we have to aim for the same this weekend," the German mused.
"Personally I would love to finish ninth in the drivers' championship and to do that I need to score at least four points."
He added: "I've never had much luck racing in Brazil and I've yet to score a point at Interlagos. I really want to change that this year!"
His team mate Paul di Resta, who finished 9th in the last race, added: "It won't be any different to any other race. Yes, we have a comfortable gap over Sauber and Toro Rosso in the championship, but we still need to be aggressive and keep pushing.
"Renault are not too far ahead of us, although catching them will require quite an unusual race and a bit of luck, too.
"We need to pick up where we left off in Abu Dhabi so that we can hopefully have another double points finish – that would be an excellent way to end the season."
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