Mallya:We need to do better

[Dare]

they should have kept Fisichella at all costs


Force India boss Vijay Mallya admits that his team need to start delivering better race results.
 
The team have endured a frustrating season that has seen them fall back in the Constructors' Championship.
 
Having finished ninth in the 2009 season, the Silverstone-based outfit put in an improved showing last season, eclipsing Sauber and missing out on sixth spot to Williams by just one point.
 
However, the 2011 season has not been as kind to Force India - or for that matter Williams - with the team dropping behind Sauber and Toro Rosso in the Constructors' standings.
 
Looking back at the season thus far, Mallya concedes that the team have yet to deliver on their potential.
 
"What is clear is that we have an excellent driver line-up and a car that is improving race by race, which gives us cause to be optimistic about the second half of the year," he said.
 
"However, we know there is a big task ahead if we are to catch our closest competitors, Toro Rosso and Sauber."
 
Of particular frustration for the 55-year-old was the team's failure to score a single point at the British GP after Paul di Resta had qualified sixth and Adrian Sutil eleventh.
 
"Looking back on Silverstone, we have to view it as a missed opportunity," he admitted.

"With confusion on the pitwall, we failed to convert our excellent qualifying performance into points, which is incredibly frustrating. These things happen in racing, but we have put measures in place to ensure such a situation cannot happen again."
 
Despite this, the Indian owner is optimistic about the future, confident that the team will deliver results later in the season.
 
"Although Silverstone became a race of unrealised potential, we can take a lot of positives from our performance," he said.
 
"Over the last few races we have demonstrated that the competitiveness of the car continues to improve and we are capable of qualifying consistently in the top 10. What is important now is to deliver that performance in the races where it matters most of all," he added.

[Jericoke]

It really is a demonstration of how much effort is required to keep an F1 team, ANY F1 team, at the top, or even in the middle.  Most businesses, and even sports teams, can run successfully for years once a certain dynamic is established. 

In F1 there's simply no room to rest on your laurels.  We've seen the amount of 'blockbuster' technical and management talent moves just this year as teams try to keep ahead of the curve.

How long before Mallya truly believes that F1 requires a bigger commitment than he's ever made?

[gato]

I don't believe that Fisi returns back to F1 any more. His year with Force India was incredible because he droved podium for the team. Right now Red Bull dominates every race weekend so it is very welcome if someone else team can be surprises like Force India that weekend.

[Scott]

Compare Mallya and Mateschitz.  Mallya mostly inherited his money, while Mateschitz started from scratch.  I think the same drive (or lack of it) shows in their F1 teams.

[Jericoke]

Compare Mallya and Mateschitz.  Mallya mostly inherited his money, while Mateschitz started from scratch.  I think the same drive (or lack of it) shows in their F1 teams.

True, Metschitz does seem more in the mould of Enzo Ferrari, Frank Williams, Ron Dennis and (yes) Bernie Eccelstone, willing to fight to the top.

Of course, it's hardly Mallya's fault he was born lucky.  It's like I suggested above, he might not be aware of the drive that is required to make an F1 team work, and it's a question of whether he will learn that lesson or not.

Considering that FIF1 is about 3 years behind RBR, and RBR had a bit of a setback before finally becoming a top team, and that RBR was founded from a much more robust team facility than FIF1 was, I'd say that overall FIF1 is still on par with RBR in terms of progress.

I hope they can join RBR, Ferrari and McLaren at the very pinnacle of the sport... whether or not Mallya has the right attitude.

[lkjohnson1950]

Mateschitz made a very good decision by making Newey an offer. He was lucky that Newey was ready to make a move. Then he or someone in his organization saw promise in Seb and signed him up. Mallya can't make similar moves because there is only one Newey and he doesn't seem to have a similar eye for driving talent.

Lonny

[markfarrell9572]

There may be only one Newey but a championship winnig Technical Director (Aldo Costa) is a free agent as of today.  Also Sam Michael isn't the worst.

[Alianora La Canta]

I could be snarky and say Force India could deliver better results rather easily by remembering to stick the right tyres on the right car...

They are improving (over the latter half of 2010), even if they are being their own worst enemy when it comes to showing it. Paul di Resta has been a great find and Adrian Sutil is finally getting his act together after having me very worried at the start of 2011. Also, if Vijay didn't care or have any drive concerning Force India, why did he apologise via Twitter following the British Grand Prix?

Much as I would have liked Force India to have been able to find a way of keeping Fisico after that glorious day at Spa, all the wealth in India wouldn't have been enough to make that happen once Maranello came calling.

[lkjohnson1950]

I don't think Di Resta was a find as much as a gift from Mercedes. What may really be holding FI back is Mallya's reputation as being no pay/ slow pay. Not too many good people want to be associated with that.

Lonny

[Alianora La Canta]

Paul wasn't a gift at the testing stage; he only got "paid for" by Mercedes when he demonstrated how good he was in a Force India test seat. Otherwise he'd have been in F1 years ago, probably with McLaren and probably before Lewis Hamilton (yes he's been waiting in the wings a long time).

Plenty of good people are wanting to be associated with Force India... ...right until they discover other teams bid higher. That's always been the case ever since it was Jordan, it's just that in the early years of Jordan there weren't that many rich bidders and they were all high up the grid. Also, it's recently been subject to the Pied Piper of Norfolk effect (i.e. Mike Gascoyne tends to attract a group of people that follows him, to the best of their abilities, whatever team he's in; since he's working for his own team, he has a lot of latitude to bring in people with whom he's previously worked well and likes).

[Monty]

I know very little about Mallya but I was surprised about how many harsh comments have been made about him and his team.
I think the driver line up is now very good but clearly the car has still a long way to go.
However, it seems to me that the mid-field teams aren't doing a lot wrong; it's just the big money teams are doing everything so well.
Let's face it Red Bull, Ferrari and Maclaren (openly or otherwise) are spending a lot more money than Force India, Sauber, Williams, Lotus Renault or Torro Rosso have available. I believe we now have three categories in F1, you might call them Premier League, First Division and novice. FIF1 are doing OK in the First Division but will need to take the car to a completely different level to break into the Premier League!

[markfarrell9572]

I think we're being harsh on Vijay Mallya, I think the team he took over was a complete shambles and only for him wouldn't be on the grid today,  maybe he doesn't have the same commitment as Dietrich Mateschitz, but I don't think he should be overly criticised for that, would any of us seriously throw billions at an F1 team if we had it?  Red Bull and F1 go together in a way, they seem a more natural fit than some of Dr Mallyas companies and F1.  He has two good drivers at the moment, I truly believe in Paul's talent,  Adrian not so much, but they are a good line up. 

Another note, Mallya seems a lot, lot more commited to another airline owning team owner, and its not Tony Fernandes I'm talking about here.

[Alianora La Canta]

Well, it would be difficult to be less involved than Richard Branson at Virgin, that much is true. To his credit, the man he left in charge (John Booth) is a racer through and through, who is excellent of making the most out of a little.

[Scott]

You guys are over-reacting.  It was simply a post to suggest he doesn't have the drive (or pour the same amount of money into the team) as the RBR management does - nothing more.  That part is true.  Maybe he pours his heart and soul into the team, but we don't hear about it, and it doesn't show if he does.  I like Mallya much in the same way that I like Briatore (don't jump on me - hear me out), in that he is a colourful character, and has potential, as long as he surrounds himself with good people.  Mallya hasn't done that part yet (I thought he had with Gacoyne, but we know Mike's an all or nothing kinda guy, and after all, it is Mallya's money).

He needs to dig deep into his pockets and carefully pick his team members if you ask me.  They could be fighting for top ten regularly if he did.

[Jericoke]

You guys are over-reacting.  It was simply a post to suggest he doesn't have the drive (or pour the same amount of money into the team) as the RBR management does - nothing more.  That part is true.  Maybe he pours his heart and soul into the team, but we don't hear about it, and it doesn't show if he does.  I like Mallya much in the same way that I like Briatore (don't jump on me - hear me out), in that he is a colourful character, and has potential, as long as he surrounds himself with good people.  Mallya hasn't done that part yet (I thought he had with Gacoyne, but we know Mike's an all or nothing kinda guy, and after all, it is Mallya's money).

He needs to dig deep into his pockets and carefully pick his team members if you ask me.  They could be fighting for top ten regularly if he did.

Indeed.  Half the fun of F1 (or any sport) is the outsized personalities.  Mallya brings that, and the sport needs it.  Not every team owner can be Enzo Ferrari.  Not every team manager is going to be Briatore (for better or worse...).  And whoever takes over F1 once Eccelstone sheds his mortal coil will have a very tall order to fill Bernie's shoes.

I'm not a fan FIF1 per se, but I'm glad to see Mallya involved in the sport.