Force India: tyre changes scuppered F1 2013 fight with McLaren
Force India had every chance of beating McLaren to fifth in the 2013 Formula 1 constructors' championship if the Pirelli tyres had not changed mid-season, according to deputy team principal Bob Fernley


The Silverstone-based team finished sixth in the standings, 45 points behind McLaren.
Force India was 22 points clear of McLaren after the British Grand Prix, when Pirelli was forced to make changes.
And Fernley believes that had Pirelli not reverted to its 2012 construction, his team could have stayed ahead.
"There was every possibility [of beating McLaren without the tyre change]," Fernley told AUTOSPORT.
"We were significantly in front of McLaren at the time and we had performance in hand, so the tyre situation really, really hurt us.
"The problem is that by then we had already introduced the 2014 car into the windtunnel and the [2013] model was no longer available to go back to so we had to work with what we had."
But Fernley is satisfied with what Force India achieved this season because the team did meet its target of finishing sixth in the constructors' championship.
"I think we achieved what we wanted to do, which was to consolidate sixth," said Fernley.
"That was the target at the beginning of the year.

"It was very worrying after Silverstone with the tyre change but to be able to battle our way through with no updates whatsoever for half a year is quite a result for us."
After being overhauled by McLaren, Force India did appear to be under threat for sixth place from Sauber, but a combined haul of 15 points in the Indian and Abu Dhabi GPs helped to re-establish a buffer.
This was largely down to Paul di Resta's sixth place in Abu Dhabi and eighth in India.
"We had those two good results in India and Abu Dhabi and that helped us through," said Fernley.
"They were very risky and aggressive strategies and they paid off. It managed to give us the cushion that we needed to get to the end."

Why looming chaos is just what F1 needs
Romain Grosjean: no need for Lotus to lament 2013 F1 run-in

Latest news
Why the future is bright for the British GP
It wasn’t so long ago the situation looked bleak at Silverstone with the future of the British Grand Prix under threat. But a transformation has seen it restored to one of the most important races on the Formula 1 calendar, with bigger and better to come
Could mixed fortunes for F1's leading Brits turn around at Silverstone?
For the first time in many years, none of the local racers starts among the favourites for the British Grand Prix. But George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris could have reasons for optimism
Verstappen exclusive: Why F1’s champion isn’t fazed by Silverstone return
Max Verstappen is the world’s number one racing driver… and he’s determined to keep it that way. Speaking exclusively to GP Racing's OLEG KARPOV, the Red Bull driver explains why he’s relishing the 2022 championship battle with Charles Leclerc – and why he’s not worried about returning to Silverstone, the scene of the biggest accident of his career last year
Why Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar can help its F1 team
On Tuesday, Red Bull laid out its plans to develop and build a new hypercar - the RB17 - penned by Adrian Newey. As the project itself sates Newey as a creative outlet, it also offers Red Bull's Formula 1 team a number of new and exciting avenues to pursue
What to expect from Mercedes as F1 returns to Silverstone
OPINION: The British Grand Prix is a home event for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, with their Mercedes team based just a few miles away too. But there’s another reason why the Silver Arrows squad is eager to arrive at Silverstone this weekend, which may help it fix its remaining problems with its 2022 Formula 1 challenger
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow
Connecting two of Ferrari's favourite F1 sons
Gilles Villeneuve's exploits behind the wheel of a Ferrari made him a legend to the tifosi, even 40 years after his death. The team's current Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc enjoys a similar status, and recently got behind the wheel of a very special car from the French-Canadian’s career