'Force India can become a strong F1 team'

Talking after a glitzy ceremony to mark the team's driver line-up on Thursday night, Fisichella said the team would have a tough time initially but if they could keep improving, there is no reason why they could not end the season with some precious points in their kitty.

"This is going to be a difficult start to the season. The first few races are not going to be easy for us. The key is not to bother and keep improving. Our real chance lies in the second half of the calendar and if we get the right direction, I think we can push to make Force India a middle-rung team," he said.

"Make no mistake, we are not going to win a race or getting a place in the podium. But with an increased budget, we will strive for the best possible result and from back on the grid, we can definitely become a mid-field team," he said.

With Vijay Mallya, along with Mol family, taking over Spykar and rechristening it Force India, the team has been handed an annual budget of USD 120 million, compared to last year's budget of USD 70 million.

Fisichella's optimism stems partly from the decision to remove traction control, which results in an increased role for a driver in the race.

"I think this would make races more interesting, even though the driver's job would become all the more difficult."

With 12 F1 seasons, three victories and more than 300 points under his belt, the Renault discard is clear about his role along side fellow race driver Adrian Sutil and he hoped the team would benefit from his experience.

"I would collaborate with the designer and the engineer and my experience should come handy. I have a two-year contract with the team and I think we need to finish with some points this year and then push even harder in 2009."

On his maiden tour of India, Fisichella said he was enjoying the attention and also talked about Narain Karthikeyan, country's first F1 driver.