Vijay Mallya says Force India expects to be competitive once again at the Canadian Grand Prix after returning to the points in Monaco.
Force India has had a tough start to the season and is currently waiting on the arrival of its upgraded B-Spec car, which is slated for debut in Austria. The team's best result remains seventh and tenth [seven points] from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, though Sergio Perez turned in a wonderful drive to finish seventh in Monte Carlo.
The team's only other points came in Bahrain and Mallya wants to build on the Monaco result this weekend.
"The team is in a good place as we head to Canada," the team boss said. "We've often gone well in Montreal and it's one of those races where anything can happen - as we saw last year with Sergio challenging for the victory. The track layout means it should be one of our better circuits so it's another opportunity to continue our fight for fifth place in the championship."
"Coming away from Monaco with six points was a fantastic result. I've been saying we need to maximise our opportunities and continue picking up points, and that's exactly what we delivered in Monaco. Sergio was outstanding all weekend and we could not have asked any more of him. It was a very mature performance and a well-deserved result. Nico [Hulkenberg] also showed his class, but bad luck kept him just outside the points.
Perez was in with a shot of victory in Canada last year until a last-lap crash with Felipe Massa and he thinks he returns in the best form of his career.
"I'm very positive at the moment," Perez said. "I feel I'm driving at my best and getting the most from every race. Monaco was pretty much a perfect weekend in terms of maximising our potential. I don't think I could have come away with more from that race. So it was a very satisfying result for the whole team. Montreal is one of my favourite tracks. I still remember my podium there in 2012 - that was such a special result. Last year's race was also one of my best, until the final lap! It was a race we had a real chance to win, but things just didn't go our way in the end.
"Montreal is a race where anything can happen and it's quite unpredictable. You need to be brave and keep fighting all the way. I hope this year we can be strong once again. It's definitely a power track where the engine counts for a lot and the circuit always produces a good race."