Vijay Mallya says he is confident Force India can deliver another “competitive performance” at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, after securing a double points finish in Malaysia last Sunday.

Teammates Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg came home sixth and eighth respectively at the Sepang International Circuit, as Force India narrowly outscored Williams in the fight for P4 in the Constructors’ standings.

The Silverstone-based outfit has now bagged points at every race since the Austrian GP in June and Mallya does not see the trend ending in round 17 of this year’s world championship.

“We head to Suzuka off the back of a very strong weekend in Sepang,” said the Force India team boss. “Scoring twelve points strengthened our fourth place in the championship and showed, once again, that the VJM09 is a car that is competitive on any kind of circuit.

“I think we were a little unlucky with how the race unfolded, but we made the most of the situation and came away with some important points.

“It means we can arrive in Japan confident of another competitive performance. The team is working extremely hard, the drivers are extracting the performance from the car, and we are looking forward to the challenge that awaits us this weekend.”

Force India currently leads Williams by three points (124 to 121) with five races left in the 2016 campaign.