Force India target the podium as Indian GP looms
Force India unveiled the car on Tuesday that they hope will put them on the podium at India's first Formula One grand prix later this season.
February 09, 2011 / 10:44 IST
Force India unveiled the car on Tuesday that they hope will put them on the podium at India's first Formula One grand prix later this season.
Principal Vijay Mallya said there was plenty to be optimistic about after the Mercedes-powered team, who also have a technical partnership with McLaren, finished seventh overall last year."We've got three race drivers that are hungry to take the next steps in their careers, whether that be points, podiums or wins," the liquor and aviation billionaire said in a statement after the online launch."Not to mention the very special event, and one that I personally can't wait for, the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. What better place would there be to reach some of those aims than on our home soil?"India is due to host a race on October 30 at a circuit being built near New Delhi. Force India's best result in Formula One remains Italian Giancarlo Fisichella's second place from pole position in Belgium in 2009.Force India were the last of the 12 teams to reveal their new car, pipped by a matter of hours by struggling Hispania (HRT) who presented pictures online of their largely-unbranded F111 car.Hispania have an Indian driver, Narain Karthikeyan, in their car while Force India have British rookie Paul di Resta and Germany's Adrian Sutil as main racers and Germany's Nico Hulkenberg in reserve."We've got targets to finish at least one spot higher than last year so consistency has got to be key. As for podiums, why not? We should certainly be in the mix at some races," said Sutil, now in his fifth season with the team.The VJM04 car is the first car created by the team under new technical director Andrew Green."The most obvious visual change is that we've gone away from a conventional roll-hoop to a blade," he said. "But there are a lot of differences under the skin that people won't necessarily notice."There are some big developments in the pipeline, probably bigger than this team has seen for quite a while," he added. "I think we're looking for a much stronger finish to the season, and we do recognise the fact that there's an Indian GP on the calendar, and we are an Indian team."The plan is to be putting stronger performance on the car through the year that will lift us up the ranks." Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
