Force India deputy team principle Bob Fernley has revealed that the team still have ambitions to chase down Red Bull this season.
The British team struggled in the early weeks and launched a b-spec car at the British Grand Prix.
Red Bull currently have a 57-point lead over them in the table, but Fernley insists that they aren’t giving up.
He told AUTOSPORT: "Our target was very clear as we finished Silverstone, which was to challenge - if we could - Red Bull for fourth place.
"But they had a very strong showing in Hungary, and obviously piled on a significant amount of points. I don't think we should lose sight of that objective, but it's going to be a bit tougher now than it was after Silverstone.”
Force India sit only four points above Lotus in sixth, while Toro Rosso sit just four pints further back.
Fernely says that they will focus on securing fifth, but fourth is the ultimate aim.
"We should certainly make sure we consolidate fifth place. That's the minimum expectation the team would have, but we shouldn't lose sight of the goal of fourth,” he said.
"There are still nine races to go, and some of the circuits coming up are going to be very favourable to Force India, and less so for Red Bull, who I think had their best circuit at Hungary.
"I think we're going to be strong throughout now, certainly at Spa, Monza and Singapore. In fact, I think we're going to be challenging all the way through to be honest with you."
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Force India deputy team principle Bob Fernley has revealed that the team still have ambitions to chase down Red Bull this season.
The British team struggled in the early weeks and launched a b-spec car at the British Grand Prix.
Red Bull currently have a 57-point lead over them in the table, but Fernley insists that they aren’t giving up.
He told AUTOSPORT: "Our target was very clear as we finished Silverstone, which was to challenge - if we could - Red Bull for fourth place.
"But they had a very strong showing in Hungary, and obviously piled on a significant amount of points. I don't think we should lose sight of that objective, but it's going to be a bit tougher now than it was after Silverstone.”
Force India sit only four points above Lotus in sixth, while Toro Rosso sit just four pints further back.
Fernely says that they will focus on securing fifth, but fourth is the ultimate aim.
"We should certainly make sure we consolidate fifth place. That's the minimum expectation the team would have, but we shouldn't lose sight of the goal of fourth,” he said.
"There are still nine races to go, and some of the circuits coming up are going to be very favourable to Force India, and less so for Red Bull, who I think had their best circuit at Hungary.
"I think we're going to be strong throughout now, certainly at Spa, Monza and Singapore. In fact, I think we're going to be challenging all the way through to be honest with you."
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