Force India were only just saved in time to be on the 2019 grid, and now their team principal Otmar Szafnauer believes the team can break into the top three of the constructors’ battle next season at the expense of Red Bull.
The team has traditionally been punching above their weight, with consecutive fourth place finishes in 2016 and 2017.
The team is set to finish seventh this season after their points were wiped over the summer after falling into administration, but since Lawrence Stroll’s consortium took over the team, money has pumped in and Szafnauer believes the team are in a good position to really fight the big guns next season.
He told Globo.com: "We want to fight for third place. I think we and Renault have a chance of getting closer to Ferrari and Mercedes in 2019.”
Had Force India not had their points wiped, the team would be on 106 points and the closest challenger to Renault, eight points behind with just two races remaining.
Szafnauer continued: "Without Lawrence Stroll coming in, we would not have got to the race in August.
"I've been in F1 for 20 years and we started talking six months ago. But I have realised we are both [North] Americans and have similar ways of looking at and reacting to things.
"He [Stroll] wants to accelerate the growth of the team to the maximum to reach the top three who are dominating."