Force India will switch focus to 2017 "sooner rather than later"

Next year's technical regulations overhaul is the most comprehensive since the move to hybrid power-units in 2014, making the timing of when to begin focusing on 2017 a particularly sensitive issue.

Force India was one of the few teams in 2013 decided to begin work early on its 2014 car, thereby limiting work on that year's VJM06.

With a decision likely to be made in the coming weeks, Force India deputy team principal Robert Fernley has full faith in his team to take the best judgement on when to shift its focus.

“I think our technical team is experienced enough to determine when the switchover is,” he said to Motorsport.com. “It will be sooner rather than later.”

“[But] I think there’s still more to come out of this [year's] car as it is.

“I think that’s what we have been working on, but 2017 is another opportunity for us, and we have got to make sure we take that with both hands."

Force India achieved its best constructors’ result in 2015 by finishing fifth, and while targeting fourth would be a natural progression, Fernley thinks consolidating fifth will be key amid tough competition.

“First priority is to retain fifth [which is] a minimum, we will never stop racing,” he said.

“We should never underestimate the quality of teams like Williams who are ahead of us, so it will hard [to attain fourth]. But of course we will give the best shot we can.”

Underlying pace strong

By virtue of Sergio Perez’s podium in Monaco, the Silverstone-based team has clawed its way back to fifth in the constructors' after having started the season behind Toro Rosso and Haas.

And Fernley reckons Force India has now found its natural place in the pecking order after suffering bad luck in the first few races of the new campaign.

“I think we had the pace at the beginning of the season, the problem we had was that we were just at the wrong place at the wrong time," said Fernley.

“[In the] first four races, two of the races we had both cars out on the first lap and if you position things with red flags or safety cars, that has done the most damage, we didn’t get the chance to do even better.

“Barcelona was little bit of turnaround with the upgrades coming in, but the car was good for first four races, we were just not being able to capitalise."

He added: “I think what you saw in Monaco is the optimisation of the Barcelona package. We have been lucky to get one car in the points even though in some cases we damaged ourselves.

“And to get both cars in points and score a significant number in Monaco and to get back into fifth, which is where we wanted to start from, I think we can push from now on and see what we can do through the whole season."

Interview by Jonathan Noble