Force India Announces Technical Department Restructure

The Force India Formula One Team today announced a restructure to its technical department ahead of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship season, due to James Key, technical director, leaving the team to pursue new opportunities. Mark Smith, formerly design director, will now become technical director and will assume responsibility for the entire mechanical and aerodynamic design of the team’s challengers.

James has been a long-standing member of the team, first joining Jordan Grand Prix in 1998 as a data engineer before progressing to test engineer and later senior race engineer for Takuma Sato. In 2003, James joined the aerodynamic group and was then promoted to head of vehicle science towards the end of that year before becoming technical director in 2005.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal, said, ‘We would like to thank James for his commitment and drive over his 12 years with the team. Over this period he has seen four changes of owners, but his consistency and drive have enabled the team to field cars that have often belied our small size. We wish him every success in his future endeavours. For Force India, we will now undergo a slight restructure where Mark will take responsibility for the whole design process and various departments within the drawing office and we are confident we will have both the resources and the personnel to continue our strong progress shown at the end of 2009.’

James Key commented, ‘I have spent the majority of my motor racing career within the team and although a difficult decision I felt the time was right for me to move on to new opportunities. After four owners and various changes and challenges, to field a car that got a pole position and a podium seemed like a culmination of all the efforts. While I’m sad to leave a team I know so well, one which has allowed me to realise many ambitions within F1, I’m looking forward to a new start. The VJM03 is now up and running and early indications are good, I wish Force India all the very best for the next and coming seasons.’

Mark Smith will now assume the role of technical director with responsibility for all of the technical departments. Mark was one of the first Jordan employees and progressed through the team’s ranks to become joint chief designer. After 11 years with Jordan, Mark joined Renault Formula 1 as chief designer before joining Red Bull Racing in 2005, initially as deputy technical director and then technical director. Mark re-joined Force India in November 2007.

Positive end to first Force India test

The Force India Formula One Team has finished the VJM03’s maiden test in Jerez on a positive note, with Adrian Sutil posting the second quickest time of the day, a 1:20.180 behind McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.

Conditions today remained dry from mid morning, allowing the team to run through systems checks, set-up evaluation and tyre comparisons. Adrian completed 84 laps of the Spanish track to bring the total test mileage to more than 1,200km.

Testing resumes next week, again at Jerez, from 17 – 20 February. New test and reserve driver Paul di Resta will get his first outing in the VJM03 on 17 February before Adrian and Tonio take over for the remainder of the test.

Adrian Sutil
In the end we did some really good runs, concentraing mainly on getting as much experience as we could with the new tyres. Set-up wise, we were pretty good already and the car balance is not so far away. We also tried a couple of longer runs and saving the tyres seems to be the key point as we could set some quick times on the early laps but then the tyres dropped off towards the end of the runs. We weren’t going for a time, just trying to get as much information as possible at this stage to feed back into the programme for next week.

Dominic Harlow, chief race engineer
We completed the final day of the test with a greater mileage than the previous days despite some poor weather to begin with and a planned period of downtime, which is positive. Overall our objectives today were completed, meaning some mechanical and bodywork test items and tyre comparisons. It’s been a good first test with the VJM3 confirming the base characteristics of the car and the most prominent effects of the regulation changes for 2010.
Testing data
Driver:   Adrian Sutil
Track:   Circuito de Jerez, Spain
Best lap time:  1:20.180
Laps completed: 84
Kilometres completed: 372km
Air temperature:  High of 9 C
Track temperature: High of 17 C
Weather:  Rain to start but dried mid morning, although remained overcast

Sutil takes over for day three of Force India test

Adrian Sutil took over the the VJM03 for the third day of the Force India F1 Team’s testing programme at the Jerez circuit in Spain. Again heavy rain from approximately 10:00hrs blighted running for the majority of the day, however Adrian completed some dry laps before the weather front arrived. His best lap, 1:21.428, was posted in this dry period and remained the third fastest time.

Adrian’s programme followed on from Tonio’s schedule of the previous two days, with systems checks, long runs and set-up evaluation. The heavy rain and frequent red flags compromised some of the schedule, however Adrian completed 48 laps before an electrical fault halted him on track some 90 minutes before the end of the session.

Adrian Sutil
This morning it was nice to have some dry running. The car is good and I think it’s a positive place to start. I’m very confident on the general speed of the car. Unfortunately the rain came in quite early and then it was really waiting for reasonable conditions to go out. We had a problem in the afternoon that caused us to miss a bit of track time, but considering it was so wet it would have been very difficult to get a lot of running in anyway. I’m pleased to at least have had some dry running and some more time in the car and am looking forward to getting started again tomorrow.

Dominic Harlow, chief race engineer
Today’s programme attempted to condense dry weather testing into the start of the day, and following the expected onset of rain at mid-morning we moved to aerodynamic testing. Some further new components were introduced successfully and the intermediate and then wet conditions allowed Adrian to look at tyre options for these conditions. We had an issue that resulted in some downtime in the afternoon, but with the weather worsening it didn’t cost us much track time and that is what testing with a new car is about.

Testing data
Driver:   Adrian Sutil
Track:   Circuito de Jerez, Spain
Best lap time:  1:21.428
Laps completed: 48
Kilometres completed: 213km
Air temperature:  High of 13 C
Track temperature: High of 10 C
Weather:  Very rainy

Force India completes driver line-up: Paul di Resta signs as test and reserve driver

Today the Force India Formula One Team and principal sponsors, Whyte & Mackay, confirmed that Paul di Resta will be the team’s test and reserve driver for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. The news was announced at a press conference held at Whyte & Mackay’s Glasgow headquarters in Paul’s native Scotland.

Twenty-three year old Paul, from West Lothian, impressed in his three day test in Jerez, Spain, in December 2009. He will now attend all races on the 2010 calendar and the team envisages he will participate in a number of Friday practice sessions to fully understand the VJM03, particularly given the ban on in-season testing will continue into next year. Additionally Paul will combine his F1 activities with a programme in DTM, which will serve the dual purpose of allowing Paul to learn the current F1 tracks while keeping his racing skills sharp.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal, commented, ‘I would like to thank both Paul and JR Hildebrand for their commitment in the test in Jerez. Both worked very hard and were impressive in the test. We are very proud to have someone of Paul’s calibre joining the team as his potential was clear in the test and he has the right attitude for making it in F1. The programme we have put together will allow him to get to grips with the car, the team and the environment and various pressures associated with F1 and we look forward to this becoming a very fruitful partnership.’

Paul di Resta added, ‘I am ecstatic to finally get the chance to move into F1 at last. I’m pleased I can start my F1 career with Force India, a team that has a lot of potential. I see this move as taking me one step closer to achieving my dream of racing in F1 but I know I have a lot to learn in terms of the car and the tracks right now. I think this programme is a perfect way to prepare fully and be ready to go if and when the chance of a race seat comes. I hope this will be the start of a long-term future with Force India. With the support of all of the team, including Whyte & Mackay, I’m sure we will grow together.’

John Beard, Chief Executive of Whyte & Mackay added, ‘Whyte & Mackay is proud of its global association with Force India and we are excited about the upcoming F1 season. It’s an added thrill for a Scotch whisky brand to see a talented Scottish driver achieve his Formula One ambitions. We welcome Paul to the team and look forward to working with him towards a successful season in 2010.’

Force India – Dominic Harlow: ‘I can’t remember a better winter build period’

Even during the winter the pace never slows in Grand Prix racing, and it’s been a busy few months at the Force India factory at Silverstone as the team prepares for the 2010 season.

In some ways life has been easier than last year, when Dr Vijay Mallya made a relatively late call to switch to Mercedes power and a McLaren transmission. Hindsight shows that it was an inspired decision, but the drawback was that last winter the technical team had to make a lot of changes to a car design that was already in progress.

That is no longer an issue, of course. On the other hand time is a little tighter than last year, because the first race in Bahrain is two weeks earlier than the 2009 season opener in Australia.

However, the big difference in the Force India factory is the buzz about the place. After fighting at the back of the field for several seasons, last year the team earned a pole position and regularly challenged for points. Everyone expects that form to carry on in 2010.

Dominic Harlow, chief race engineer, says that there’s a great atmosphere in the camp.

‘I can’t remember a better winter build period for the team in the time since I’ve been here,’ he says. ‘It’s been good in terms of continuity, the general feeling, and the aims and the goals that we are setting ourselves. That’s all been very positive. It’s still a time for change and regrouping and planning and so on, so all of that is going on as normal.

‘But underlying that there’s just a confidence that if we carry on what we’re doing and believe in each other, then we will deliver. And unlike some other teams we’re not scratching around trying to put together a car at the last minute.’

Continuity is the key. Under its various identities over the years the team became used to changing engine suppliers at relatively short notice, so carrying over the Mercedes from 2009 – not to mention the fact that the same engine that won the World Championship – is a major boost.

‘It certainly is,’ says Harlow. ‘We’’ve kept the whole powertrain. The regulations are basically the same, although that helps every other team as well. We’ve been able to start everything much earlier and everything is as you’d want to have it now, rather than just being a reaction to everything else that’s going on around.’

Although the regulations are essentially unchanged after the huge upheavals of last winter, there are some issues that have to be addressed.

‘We have a narrower front tyre. And the tyres generally always change and are a little bit of an unknown – we’ll be interested to find out about them when we go testing. The deletion of spinners, or wheel discs, also has a big impact.’

The biggest change is that there is no refuelling at pit stops in 2010, so cars will start races with a much heavier fuel load than previously. Thus a major task over the winter has been to determine the size of the fuel tank – in other words calculate how much fuel would be required to finish the race which is heaviest on fuel consumption. Get the numbers wrong and make the tank too small, and there could be a major embarrassment.

‘We were pretty systematic,’ says Harlow. ‘We looked at everything we could think of that affects fuel consumption – the drag of the car, the circuits we run at, driving style, the way we run the engines, the fuel itself. We forecast that forward to 2010 and came up with a prediction based on the worst circuit in terms of fuel use, which is now Valencia. Then you have some design factors to include, such as the way a calculated fuel tank size never quite becomes a manufactured one – it’s a slightly inexact science.’

The lack of refuelling means that race strategy is now going to be quite different. Drivers still have to use both the prime and option tyres during a race, so there will be pit stops. But determining the best time to change – given that the heavy fuel load at the start will put more stress on the tyres in the early laps – is an extremely complicated equation.

‘It’s quite a big unexplored area, and there’s still a lot of modelling for the fuel consumption and the tyres that we still need to do. Depending on where we’re racing, I think people are going to be a bit more cagey at the start of the race.’

The extra complication for the drivers is that the car behaviour will change dramatically between the early laps, with a full load, and the latter stages of the race.

‘The car balance will change quite a lot as the fuel weight goes down. I think it’s another challenge, and as always, the cream will rise to the top. It will help the fastest learners. And for us it’s where the continuity and the relative experience of our guys is going to favour us.

‘In wet conditions the extra weight of the cars will be another interesting factor, and will probably accentuate the differences between the drivers even more than previously.’

Complete Consistency

Tonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil contemplate the task ahead for Force India at a test day in Barcelona, February 2008. The pair have been confirmed as FIF1 drivers for 2010, continuing the partnership that completed this season with some respectable results. Mallya is hoping some consistency will see the team’s continued improvement.

Credit: Force India F1

Sutil and Liuzzi Confirmed for Force India F1 Team 2010 Line-Up

The Force India Formula One Team is pleased to confirm Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi will remain with the team for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, thus giving complete consistency in its driver line-up.

2010 will be Adrian’s fourth season in Formula 1. The 26-year-old German started his F1 career with Force India’s predecessors, Midland, as a test and reserve driver in 2006 before graduating to a race seat with Spyker in 2007. In 2009 he recorded his best-ever F1 finish of fourth at the Italian Grand Prix, also securing his first front row start.

Tonio retains his race seat following his move up from the team’s test and reserve driver role at Monza this year. The 28-year-old Italian made his race debut in 2005 with Red Bull Racing and moved to Toro Rosso for 2006 and 2007. In 2008 he became Force India’s third driver.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal, commented, ‘We are very pleased to retain the services of both Adrian and Tonio for another season. We have always maintained that consistency is key at this stage in the team’s development and for the first time in many years we will have the continuity of not only the same drivers, but also the same engine and senior management. With this stability now in place I truly believe we have an excellent platform to build on and move forward on our strong 2009 performance. I am sure we have one of the most dynamic line-ups on the grid and I hope this will stand us in good stead in what we all hope will be a transitional year for the team.’

Adrian added, ‘2010 will be my fourth consecutive year with the team. I feel good here, it feels like family, and when you feel at ease you can focus your energy 100% on getting it right on track. Next season I want to be in the points on a regular basis, maybe even challenging for the podium, and the team has exactly the same goals. We are going massively in the right direction so with our combined energies I’m confident we can achieve even more than last season.’

Tonio said, ‘It was always my goal to be back racing in 2010 and I’ve finally achieved it. I feel the five races I did in 2009 were a bit of a warm-up; get back racing, learn the car, get the feeling back. Now I’ve done that I feel ready to really push next season. We were pretty strong in the last part of the 2009 season so if we pick up where we stopped I think we could be in for a good year. For sure points are the aim and showing everyone what we can do.’

An announcement regarding the third driver will be made in the weeks following the young driver test.

Quick Adrian Sutil facts

• Adrian made his F1 debut in 2006, driving the Midland in Friday free practice at the European, French and Japanese Grands Prix. His race debut came at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix and he achieved his first world championship points in Japan later that year. Despite a frustrating 2008 Adrian featured strongly in 2009, securing his first-ever front row start at the Italian Grand Prix and also the fastest lap of the race. To date he has scored six world championship points
• Adrian was the 2006 Japanese F3 champion and also finished second to Lewis Hamilton in the 2005 F3 Euroseries
• Born in southern Germany, Adrian has South American roots on his father’s side but now lives in Switzerland

Quick Tonio Liuzzi facts

• Tonio Liuzzi was Force India’s test and reserve driver from 2008 until the 2009 Italian Grand Prix when he stepped up to replace Giancarlo Fisichella, who had departed to Ferrari. He qualified an outstanding seventh on the grid and was in a points-scoring position until a mechanical failure caused his retirement
• Tonio made his F1 debut in 2005 at the San Marino Grand Prix with Red Bull Racing. He scored a point on this debut although competed in just three more races that year before making a permanent switch to Toro Rosso in 2006, where he remained for the 2007 season
• Tonio holds the joint record for the most F3000 wins in one season; seven out of a possible ten in 2004, his championship-winning year. The Italian holds the record with Juan Pablo Montoya and Nick Heidfeld
• Tonio has also held the FIA-CIK World Karting Championship title, which he won in 2001

Force India – Race – Brazilian GP

The Force India Formula One Team could not capitalise on its strong qualifying performance in today’s Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. Adrian Sutil had started from a superb third position but was involved in a first-lap incident that eliminated him on the spot.

Tonio Liuzzi had a tough event, fighting yet again with Fisichella throughout the race to finish in 12th position.

Adrian Sutil car 20, VJM02/01
DNF Accident Lap 1

Tonio Liuzzi car 21, VJM02/04
12th +71.388secs

Adrian Sutil car 20

The start was fine, I lost one position as Kimi overtook me on the outside. It was fine for the next corner but then Kimi hit Webber and lost his front wing. I was following him through the corner but then suddenly I got hit in the rear and lost control of the car. Trulli was there on the outside trying to go round. It was a really stupid maneouvre as there was no space and I couldn’t see him at all. At that point it wasn’t worth it and it ended my race far too early on as I went over into the gravel. Jarno was furious and said it was my mistake but I just told him what had happened to me. But it’s over and now he’s just got to deal with it.

Tonio Liuzzi car 21

It was a long race, starting from last on the grid after the gearbox change yesterday. We made a change to the soft tyres in the safety car period, using them for just one lap to get them out of the way as we felt we couldn’t do longer stints with them. On the harder compound in the first stint I had a good pace but we struggled a lot with oversteer on the second so I couldn’t get past Giancarlo. Then at the end I had a brake problem, which compromised the race but at least we finished this difficult Grand Prix, which was important. We had hoped for rain as we seemed to be very competitive in those conditions but that’s how it is – now we can just look forward to Abu Dhabi.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal

Firstly congratulations to Jenson Button and Brawn GP for winning their first-ever world titles. Their performance this season has been quite staggering and they thoroughly deserve this success. For Force India, for sure we had expected much more from this race. Adrian did an amazing job in qualifying and we were confident we could have picked up another few points, but unfortunately he was just a victim of the accident. He deserved much more. Tonio’s race was always going to be tough after yesterday’s crash but he picked up another race finish – again by tailing home a Ferrari! We are all now really looking forward to Abu Dhabi. The car’s working well, the drivers are confident and hopefully the track should suit us pretty well.

Force India – Adrian 3rd – Starting Grid

The Force India Formula One Team’s Adrian Sutil will start tomorrow’s Brazilian Grand Prix from third position following a dramatic wet qualifying session, which featured several stoppages and delays. Adrian’s second row start is the second time he has started in the top four and his fourth top 10 start this year*.

Adrian Sutil car 20, VJM02/01
FP3: 5th 1:24.149 (4 laps)
Q1: 9th 1:24.447 (11 laps)
Q2: 5th 1:20.753 (10 laps)
Q3: 3rd 1:19.912 (7 laps)

Tonio Liuzzi car 21, VJM02/04
FP3: 16th 1:27.341 (4 laps)
Q1: 12th 1:24.645 (10 laps)
Q2: No time set

Tonio Liuzzi had graduated through to Q2 but was a victim of aquaplaning when the session eventually got underway and speared off into the barriers into turn one. The Italian was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks but was uninjured in the accident. His VJM02 sustained significant damage in the impact and will require a new gearbox, effectively dropping Tonio five places on tomorrow’s starting grid.

* Germany – P7, Italy – P2. In Japan qualified in 4th but started 8th after a penalty.

Adrian Sutil car 20

Being in the top three is always a great feeling, particularly after such a difficult session. On the Friday it didn’t look so good in the dry so I was really hoping for rain and in the end we got too much! We had to wait so long during the session and keep focussed. Q1 was definitely extreme wets as there was so much water that you had to be careful not to spin. Then there was so much waiting until Q2. I did my fastest time in that session on the extremes but you could really only get one good lap out of them so it was a clear sign we needed to go onto the intermediates in Q3. We left it a bit until we went out and I crossed the line with just seconds to spare to start my fastest lap, which was good enough for third. I’m really happy, it’s feels good to be back here at the front. I like this circuit although it hasn’t been the greatest for us for results in previous years. I’m hoping for a good race tomorrow – I’m just going to give it my best.

Tonio Liuzzi car 21

I am really disappointed and frustrated that the qualifying ended in the way it did as I was pretty convinced I could have got into Q3 and done well – as Adrian has shown today we were very much on it. The car reacted well in the wet conditions and we showed a good performance in Q1, even if we were in traffic and couldn’t do the best lap time. At the start of Q2 it was very difficult conditions and it was risky to go out but once there is a green light you have to try and go out and do your best. I am sorry for the team as we could have achieved more but I was a passenger at that stage and couldn’t do anything when the car caught that puddle. All the same I think we are in good shape tomorrow and if the conditions stay like this we have a well balanced car so I am optimistic for the race.

Simon Roberts, chief operating officer

We’re delighted that Adrian got into the top three today. He put in a sterling performance in very difficult conditions and really got the maximum from himself and the car. It was tough to get the tyre calls right but we were pretty much spot on with the timing from wets to inters and got this fantastic result that hopefully should set us up very well for the race tomorrow. It was a real shame for Tonio that he could not have progressed much further but at the time the conditions were at their worst and there was nothing he could have done to avoid going off. We’re obviously pleased he is OK and with the expected unpredictable conditions tomorrow he could still be in for a good performance in the race.

Force India – New COO joins the Team

The Force India Formula One Team’s chairman and team principal Dr Vijay Mallya today confirmed at its Silverstone headquarters, in the presence of all staff members and McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, that Otmar Szafnauer has been appointed to the position of Force India chief operating officer. Otmar will take over the role from Simon Roberts, who has now completed his one year secondment from McLaren Applied Technologies.

Otmar has a wealth of Formula One experience having held, amongst other senior motorsport management positions, director of strategy and business planning for Honda Racing F1 Team from 2006 – 2008 and operations director at British American Racing  from 1998 – 2001. He will now take over Simon’s direct responsibilities, including overseeing factory and trackside operations and will ensure maximum productivity from all Force India in-house departments. Furthermore he will liase with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines to strengthen the existing relationship.

Simon will return to McLaren Applied Technologies to take up a senior management role and will continue his involvement with Force India from the other side of the partnership.

Dr Mallya commented, ‘Otmar was selected by myself in full consultation with McLaren to replace Simon, who has now completed his secondment with Force India. We are sad to see Simon go as he has been a crucial linchpin in the transition to the McLaren and Mercedes drivetrain and his dedication and professional stewardship has led the team to achieving its first-ever podium in F1. However he was always on secondment and we knew we would have to let him return to the McLaren fold. We are confident that Otmar, with his wealth of F1 experience, will be a worthy successor and will continue the strong upward trend we have seen in the last half of the season.’

Simon Roberts added, ‘I am sad to leave Force India, a team that has welcomed me and is now achieving real success. I am delighted I will still remain involved in the team from the other side of the fence and look forward to providing all the support both McLaren, Mercedes and Force India require.’

Otmar Szafnauer said, ‘Force India is a professional outfit that is now achieving competitive and highly promising results. Simon has set a high standard to continue and I am eagerly anticipating getting stuck in to this latest challenge.’

Simon will remain in his current position until 2 November. Both Simon and Otmar will attend the Brazilian and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix to ensure a smooth transition period.

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