Spa (Belgium): Sergio Perez scored his first points at the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix but that could not prevent Sahara Force India from slipping to sixth place in the team standings, here on Sunday.
A ninth place finish for Perez resulted in two points for Force India, taking their tally to 100 after 12 rounds but they lost a place in the constructors` championship in the first race post the summer break.
Nico Hulkenberg in the other Force India car missed out on a point by three tenths of a second, losing 10th place to Toro Rosso`s Daniil Kvyat.
Perez and Hulkenberg started the 44-lap race 13th and 18th on the grid. McLaren overtook the Silverstone outfit in the standings, thanks to the 14 points scored through Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button, who finished sixth and seventh respectively. The Woking squad now has 111 points.
Force India have lost considerable ground in the championship since Austria and their slide can also be attributed to the rise of Williams who have scored four podiums in the last five races.
The last round in Hungary, which preceded the mid-season break, saw Force India drawing a blank for the first time in 2014.
Reuters
First Published: Sunday, August 24, 2014, 20:55
