London: Force India unveiled the car that they hope will put them on the podium at India’s first Formula One Grand Prix later this season, on Tuesday.

Principal Vijay Mallya said there was plenty to be optimistic about after the Mercedes-powered team, who also have a technical partnership with McLaren, finished seventh overall last year.

“We’ve got three race drivers that are hungry to take the next steps in their careers, whether that be points, podiums or wins,” he said in a statement. “Not to mention the very special event, and one that I personally can’t wait for, the inaugural Indian Grand Prix.

Force India were the last of the 12 teams to reveal their new car, pipped by a matter of hours by struggling Hispania (HRT) who presented pictures online of their largely-unbranded F111 car.

Hispania have Narain Karthikeyan, while Force India have Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil as main racers and Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg in reserve. “We’ve got targets to finish at least one spot higher than last year so consistency has got to be key. As for podiums, why not? We should certainly be in the mix at some races,” said Sutil, now in his fifth season with the team.

(Reuters)