Feb.15 (GMM) Giancarlo Fisichella is pleased with the testing performances of his Force India mount, and says the single seater should be even faster following an upcoming update.

"At the next test we will get the new aerodynamic package," he said, referring to the bodywork that will adorn the current test car in Melbourne next month.

"At the beginning of the season it will be hard to stay out of the bottom (of the field), but we hope that we can gradually improve," Fisichella is quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Roman veteran, who has switched to the newly Vijay Mallya-owned Silverstone based team following three years at Renault, compares the former Jordan outfit with Red Bull's recent progress.

"We can go the same way as them," Fisichella said in an interview with Germany's Auto Motor und Sport magazine.

"We now have the necessary money, good people and two wind tunnels. We just need time," said the Italian, who has signed a two-year contract.

"I believe in the project," he continued. "The first half of the season will surely be tough, but it is something we have to go through."

Auto Motor und Sport reveals that one technical development scheduled by Force India for debut this season is a quick-shift gearbox.