Force India owner Vijay Mallya believes the team's performance at the Canadian Grand Prix vindicated his pre-season ambitions to challenge the top three teams.

2017 has been a very positive year for the Silverstone-based outfit, currently holding the same fourth place in the Constructors' championship they managed last year by a 41-point margin over Toro Rosso.

Though the eventual fifth and sixth in Montreal wasn't Force India's best result of the year, with fourth and fifth in Spain having that distinction, it was certainly their most competitive as they battled with Daniel Ricciardo and the two Ferraris throughout the 70 laps.

“At the start of the year, when we launched the VJM10, I said we wanted to carry on where we ended 2016 as the fourth-placed team, I even dared to dream that we could look ahead of us towards the top three," Mallya commented.

“I think our performance in Montreal showed that such ambitions were not too outlandish. To be fighting with Red Bulls and Ferraris feels pretty good. We are not consistently at their level, but on our day we can fight with the top teams.

“It’s a credit to everybody at Force India that we have come away from the first seven races with 71 points – a fantastic achievement.”

It was also an excellent response to the team's troubles in Monaco, the only race where Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon haven't scored this season, and with good memories of the podium the Mexican scored in Azerbaijan in 2016, on a circuit similar to Montreal, expectations are high.

“There is a lot of optimism ahead of this weekend,” Mallya admitted. “Last year Baku turned out to be a good race for the team and we believe we can deliver another strong performance this year.

“The progress we’ve made with the VJM10 since the start of the season has been considerable and we have brought developments to the car at every race so far. All the hard work is paying off and I’m proud of our results.”

Perez agreed, adding: “I feel positive after Montreal, as the car was quick and we were competitive. It was always going to be one of our best circuits of the year, but we still had to deliver

“It’s a good sign for Baku – another track with long straights and big braking zones.

“I always enjoy street tracks and the team has done a fantastic job to develop the car during the last few races. I think we will be in good shape this weekend too.”