Punchy Force India target fourth despite McLaren and Renault F1 challenge

Force India believe that they can retain their fourth place in the F1 Constructors' Championship, despite the predicted resurgence of McLaren and Renault - and the fact that they have one of the lowest budgets in the sport.

Operations chief Otmar Szafnauer says that while the 2018 car is a development of the car which punched above its weight in 2017, there is plenty of scope to unlock performance and the target is to finish closer to third than last year.

"Our targets have been set already and we are aiming to start at the same level as we did last season and if our development rate is as last year, then we are well placed to finish fourth and maybe get closer to the top three," he said.

"We passed all the FIA crash tests first time so that helps a lot (with the delivery timeline).

"I can see that McLaren and Renault are going to be stronger and I would also say Williams, because they have a new head of aerodynamics and we mustn't forget that this is the first car for Paddy Lowe, who was winning world championships with Mercedes before that.

"We have a stable workforce, the key people have all stayed with us," he added. "We continue to be the most efficient team in F1, we have probably the lowest budget now in the pit lane but it's the same as last year."

There have been suggestions from rivals that Force India has been struggling over the winter with cash flow, but Szafnauer said," There are always issues with cash flow, but they are no more than last year's."

The team is set to reveal its much anticipated new name and logo when it launches the new car next month.

Mercedes is believed to have developed a new engine for 2018, to work with the new regulations which require a maximum of three engines per driver for the season. At the top end of its operating range, the motor is rumoured to be close to 1,000 horsepower, which will help with qualifying performance, but the key will be what level it can be run at in races to trade off pace against reliability.

Much attention will again be focussed on the duel between Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, whose rivalry spilled over last season into some damaging collisions at Baku and Spa, but Szafnauer says that the team got that under control last year and is fascinated to see how the pair compete this season.

"Ocon is still learning, we certainly expect him to pick up where he left off last year, but he will have the advantage this time in the first half of this season of knowing all the tracks."

Szafnauer predicts a three way battle for the title with Ferrari and Red Bull building on their strong performance at the end of 2017 and a very tight midfield battle.

The new cars will be launched and hit the test track in late February and early March so we will have a much better picture then.

What do you think of Force India's chances in 2018? Do you think they can stay ahead of McLaren and Renault and Williams? Leave your comments below