Vitantonio Liuzzi's ninth place finish earned Force India two invaluable points from the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir, Bahrain on Sunday.
Adrian Sutil's 10th place on the starting grid had raised Force India hopes for a good finish.
The German driver, however, dropped out of the points race after an opening lap scramble to eventually finish 12th and it was his Italian team-mate Liuzzi who took the onus on himself to ensure that the Vijay Mallya-owned outfit gained something from the season opener.
The 2010 season opener got off to a chaotic start and Sutil's VJM03 was among the cars that spun in the start, pushing the Force India driver down to the second last position.
Sutil tried to claw his way back and rose through the cluttered mid-field but that was not enough to finish among the points.
Liuzzi was more in control of the race as he drove to his first points for the Silverstone-based squad.
