Spa: Force India gained from Kevin Magnussen's post-race 20 seconds penalty with their drivers Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg promoted a place to be classified as eighth and 10th respectively at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Though the penalty for the McLaren driver was not enough for Force India to remain fifth in the team standings, it cut the deficit to just two points in favour of the Woking squad from 11 after the provisional results. McLaren are on 105 points and Force India 103.
Perez scored his first points at Spa after starting 13th on the grid.
"I think we achieved the most that was possible from the race. I lost a bit of time in the second stint, having to pass the two McLarens and I took a bit too much out of the tyres, which cost me some time later in the stint," said Perez.
"In the final ten laps I was under a lot of pressure from Kvyat: he was catching me quickly, but I managed to hold him off. In the end, we got some points out of this weekend and that's the important thing," he added.
Hulkenberg in the other Force India finished only three tenths of a second behind Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat. The German had started 18th on the grid.
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.
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