07 – Force India F1 Team

Credit: Force India F1

Stats

• Team Principal: Vijay Mallya
• Factory: Silverstone, UK
• Website: forceindiaf1.com
• Drivers: Adrian Sutil, Tonio Liuzzi
• F1 Debut: Australia 2008
• Championships: 0

Full WCC Results

• 2008 – 10th
• 2009 – 9th
• 2010 -

2010 Preview

From the F1 Digest 2010 Season Preview:

Force India have been pretty quiet over the winter, presumably hunkered down working on the brand new VJM03. The end of the 2009 season saw increased competitiveness for the team, so they will want to harness that and improve upon it. Making the right changes ahead of 2010 is crucial so they don’t just take one giant step backwards. The only tricky patch came when Fisichella deserted them for the riches of Ferrari, allowing Tonio Liuzzi to step into the lurch. They are keeping Liuzzi and Sutil on board for 2010, so a little bit of consistency across the drivers will help. When the VJM03 launched, we were all rather underwhelmed by it’s appearance. They’ve got no major livery changes, and the car looks very similar to last year’s. That would account for them not wanting to take a step in the wrong direction. Compared to some of the newer cars we’ve seen, the nose is exceptionally wide, and that makes the front wing look rather different as well. The sidepods are quite large, so in keeping as much of 2009 in the bodywork as possible, the team are actually taking a different direction to many of the other cars we’ll see on the grid.

With Sutil and Liuzzi on board, Force India have signed up DTM driver Paul di Resta as reserve driver, who will also take the unprecedented step of getting some Friday practice running in during the season. Presumably, this is all part of the Mercedes engine deal, and it’s understandable that Force India would do anything to keep those speedy engines on board. Di Resta is a great driver, and it looks as though he’s being groomed for a race seat in at least one of the Mercedes teams that now grace the grid.

The team finished ninth in the championship last year, and Chief Operating Officer Otmar Szafnauer has targeted fifth place for 2010. Pre-season testing has so far indicated a general mid-field performance, with no major hassles but no major surprises either. They have more competition this year, though, so it might be harder to rise through the ranks in qualifying – a necessity for Force India to make an impression on the championship.