Force India: Updates will show worth in China after tough Bahrain

The team added front-suspension modifications and a few aero parts to the VJM09 for Sakhir but had a messy weekend and failed to score.

Deputy team principal Bob Fernley believes the developments' effect will be shown more at Shanghai this weekend.

"We added one or two upgrades in Bahrain which may not have been perfect for there, but I'm sure will benefit us in China," Fernley told Autosport.

"They may not have been ideal for Bahrain, but it at least allowed us to put some mileage on them, bed them in, and I believe they will benefit the guys at the faster circuits."

Fernley is hoping the car's potential will soon be realised as after two tough races Force India only has Nico Hulkenberg's seventh place in Australia to show for its 2016 efforts.

Bahrain, in particular, was a disappointment with Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez down in 15th and 16th positions respectively following first-lap incidents and Perez's poor qualifying.

"Bahrain was probably one of our worst races for a while. The last race we had before that which was a disaster was Hungary last year," added Fernley.

"In Bahrain, with those incidents, with the front wings taken out, that was it. Without a safety car there was no coming back from that.

"But for that, and allowing for no attrition, we were expecting to finish where we started [Hulkenberg qualified eighth].

"Maybe we might have capitalised on Williams's race pace, which wasn't very exciting, which would have moved us up a bit.

"So that's two missed opportunities we've had now unfortunately for us because in Australia we had everything working perfectly before the red flag [for Fernando Alonso's crash]."

With the midfield so tightly congested this year, Fernley knows how crucial it is to make the most of every opportunity.

"It's going to get more and more interesting through the year as there will be different dynamics, different circuit elements," said Fernley.

"We'll have some days like the last two races, which have not gone in our favour.

"Once we get a bit of a run going again, with both cars finishing where we expect them, then we'll start catching up.

"For now we just have to brush ourselves down and get on with it."