Co-owner Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya may be in the press a lot right now over woes with his Kingfisher airline but, in contrast, Force India has the wind beneath its wings.

No other F1 team has improved its championship position in each of the past four years. It rose from tenth in 2008 to sixth last year and since Force India started with one of the tiniest budgets in F1 it has delivered better value for money than perhaps any other team. Indeed, just a few years ago its budget was so small that there were fears for the team's future. Those fears are long gone.

To give an indication of just how much it is punching above its weight, according to the latest available accounts, Red Bull Racing's costs came to £158.7m in 2010 whereas Force India's expenditure was less than half that at £73m. At the end of last year the team also got a £65m investment from Indian conglomerate Sahara giving even more financial fire-power to fuel its competition. Transforming Force India from a back-marker into F1's brightest rising star has taken more than just good planning, it has also required a boost in its annual budget. However, this hasn't been thrown at the team with reckless abandon as a report in the Express by Pitpass' business editor Christian Sylt reveals.

Force India's accounts to 31 December 2010 show that its revenues increased £17m to £48.5m but the additional money was not poured into the team's account by Mallya personally who owns a 42.85% stake in it. Instead, a boost in sponsorship drove the increase in the team's revenue.

The accounts show that the amount of sponsorship received from Mallya's brewing businesses and Kingfisher itself doubled to £13m. It was a brave gamble for the airline, given its financial situation, but it has paid off.

Force India's performance has accelerated over the past few years and this made it an attractive target. The team's sixth place last year was its best result since 2002 and that alone justified the boost in sponsorship as research and development expenditure on F1 cars is made the year before they race on track. Nevertheless, the team's improved race results have not translated into a profit.

Force India narrowed its net loss from £40.3m to £26.7m in 2010 as turnover increased £17m to £48.5m thanks to the sponsorship boost. This wasn't just spent on keeping the team ticking over. Bank loans were paid down by £1m, leaving a total of £8.2m outstanding, and the team invested £1.2m in new equipment. With this investment and the money from Sahara, which is at Force India's disposal this year, the team has a bright road ahead of it.