Monisha's Sauber is keeping an eye on Force India
Top Stories
- Trouble mounts for Sreesanth as Mumbai cops gather more evidence
- SIT to seek Supreme Court guidance on Maya Kodnani death penalty issue
- Tamil Nadu police bans Yasin Malik-linked pro-Eelam public meeting
- Kings XI Punjab end IPL 2013 campaign with a win
- Narendra Modi: India losing sheen as agricultural nation
Sauber's newly-appointed Indian-origin Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn, the first woman to reach this position in Formula One, says she is well aware of the competition her outfit faces from Sahara Force India.
Sauber (116), overall seventh in the standings, are leading the Indian outfit by 35 points with five races remaining in the season.
The way outgoing team Sergio Perez is racing, Sauber have a realistic chance of snatching the fifth position from Mercedes who are 20 points ahead with 136 points.
Asked if her team is wary of Force India, which is catching up fast, Monisha said the rivals are being watched closely.
"Our goal is to move forward, but from time to time we are also looking in the rear mirror not to have any nasty surprises. It's not only the mid-field, but also the top teams are very close together," said Monisha.
"We think this is the result of some rule changes like the ban of flexi front wings and the off-throttle side blown diffusers. It's obvious that this makes Formula One extremely attractive," she said.
Sauber earned their second podium finish of the season at the Japanese Grand Prix last week when Kamuyi Kobayashi ended third.
The team has improved by leaps and bounds this season compared to the last when it finished seventh behind Force India with just 44 points. They were eighth in 2010.
Asked what has brought about the transformation this season, Monisha said it took a lot of hard work and strategic decisions such as a big cut in budget.
"To explain this, one has to go back to mid-2009, when BMW announced to pull out of Formula One. At that time, it was not even clear whether our team would survive. However, we were able to solve one problem after the next and we were able to compete in 2010," Monisha said.
... contd.
Mayweather too hot
IPL 2013: It's going to be tough game against Punjab, says Daniel Vettori
IPL 2013: Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid fashion Rajasthan Royals' win
IPL 2013: A forgettable 'hat-trick' for Kieron PollardEditors’ Pick
- Quake-hit and shaken, Bhaderwah spends nights in the open
- UP blast accused dies on way to jail, govt wanted to drop case against him
- Former civil aviation secy changes mind, seeks airport security exemption as EC
- BCCI suspects Gujarat players in other teams were also approached
- Police on money trail, Sreesanth in fresh trouble
- Chhattisgarh 'encounter' leaves 8 villagers dead, no Maoist link yet
- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrives today, PM to seek early revival of border talks
