Silverstone: With a slew of rule changes coming into play in the Formula One Championships in 2014, Sahara Force India Team Principal Vijay Mallya feels it would be a "massive challenge" for a small team like his. Mallya, however, said Sahara Force India was raring to go after a "satisfactory" pre-season testing stint.
"It's been a massive challenge, especially for a smaller team like ours. That was why we put so many plans in place early last year to be ready for what has become a very different Formula One. All the hard work has paid off but it has been a very steep learning curve and a huge undertaking to get where we are today," Mallya said ahead of the season opener Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 16.
"It's the first time for many years that Formula One has been properly aligned with the automotive industry. The prospect of Formula One driving forward technical advances for road cars is a very exciting one," he said.
Asked about his team's final test in Bahrain, Mallya said, "It was certainly a good week in terms of mileage because we completed the second highest number of laps of all the teams. So we can be satisfied with the amount and quality of the work we were able to carry out. "We've learned a lot of things -- by no means everything -- and I think we can feel quietly confident."
Refusing to predict his team's chances in Melbourne, Mallya said, "It's never easy to make predictions and this year there are so many more unknowns than usual. I think we can arrive in Melbourne feeling happy about the work we've done over the winter.
"How that will translate to a race weekend is hard to say, but I think it's important that an element of unpredictability has returned. There is plenty of interest around Formula One at the moment and that's a good thing." Sahara Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg said he was satisfied with the pre-season testing.
