27/02/2020
NEWS STORY
At Force India it was always about catch-up, the team starting off at an obvious disadvantage to its rivals and then updating and developing the car throughout the season so that by the end of the year the Silverstone-based outfit was usually punching well above its weight.
Now, as Racing Point, with Lawrence Stroll at the helm things are different, the nightmare, penny-pinching days of Vijay Mallya a distant memory, the squad heads into 2020 as a strong contender for the best of the rest title. Indeed, some are already claiming it could give Ferrari a run for its money.
Though most of the teams have yet to play their hand in testing, the RP20 not only looks good, it clearly has pace, even if reliability was a little lacking in the opening week.
And while rivals teams are questioning the legality of a car that clearly owes much to last year's all conquering Mercedes W10, leaving the sport fearing that the season opener will be overshadowed by protests, Sergio Perez is on a high, believing this is the best car he has ever had and that his team will be competitive from the outset.
"We've never been this prepared before," he told reporters in Barcelona. "We always tend to come back in the second half of the season, so I think it will be the first time we can start a stronger season.
"We are optimistic for the season start," he continued, "but the season is so long, and how much you can improve through the season, how much you can improve from now to Melbourne. We've got a lot of work on our hands but certainly we have a car that has potential.
"I think this can be the most solid package I've had in my career to start the season," he smiled. "I hope in Melbourne that proves to be right. But at the moment the car is working well, I think there is good things, good signs, but we've got so much work to do before Melbourne so hopefully we can be as prepared as possible."
Despite no clear picture of the pecking order, he said: "I think the top teams are still very strong, but it's very difficult to figure out where everyone is.
"I think by the end of testing, we will have a bit of a bigger picture," he added. "But right now, the more you try to look into the times, the more you waste your time.
"So we have got to wait for the next two days, see where everyone is when they do a bit more long running. Then it is a bit easier to figure out."