Bob Fernley has denied that Force India is on the brink of bankruptcy.
What is clear is that after finishing fourth overall in both 2016 and 2017, the small Silverstone based team is now outpaced by other midfield runners.
But deputy boss Fernley told Finnish broadcaster C More that reports the new car is fundamentally flawed are wrong.
"If you compare our times with Australia and Bahrain last year, then we are actually significantly faster," he said.
"Between eighth and 15th places there is a difference of maybe two tenths, so the competition is incredibly tight," Fernley added.
Fernley also denied reports that Force India is on the brink of financial paralysis.
The report said the team needed an advance in its official F1 income within weeks just to survive.
But Fernley smiled: "We’ve apparently been on the verge of bankruptcy every month for ten years but we’re still here, and we’re still going well."