Unofficial Indian Grand Prix Site

Force India supremo Vijay Mallya announced that he would leave no stone unturned in order to ensure that Force India formula one team gets the best Engine Suppliers, Drivetrain and KERS for the 2009 formula one season.

The performance of Force India this year has been really poor with Adrian Sutil coming within point scoring distance only once , and that time too he couldnt finish the race. Giancarlo Fisichella too looked good in the earlier part of the season, but the overall performance of the Force India formula one team has been really pathetic especially in the second half of the season.

We are now bringing Force India’s debut season to a close in Brazil. I have given the team all the resources they required and I expected significant improvement. As the statistics have shown, we have improved and are now much closer to the midfield, but our progress has rather flattened out since the mid-season. Relative to other teams, we haven’t made as much progress as they have, but to be fair to the team after Hungary I made a conscious decision to put time and resources into 2009.

As many of the media has reported, we are currently looking into our package for next season and I hope I will be able to announce a deal very shortly. I will make sure that my team has the best solution for engine, drivetrain and KERS possible so we can get a good head start and try to get the points that have eluded us so far this season. 

Before we get to that stage however I would like to see a strong performance in Brazil. We are not finished yet - one more race represents one more chance to score points. While we’re realistic, we can’t give up yet.  Mr. Vijay Mallya said

Good for the team that Mr. Mallya is optimistic, but as a fan i am yet to see concrete improvements in the team atleast in the second half. Hopefully their 2009 challenge will be much stronger.

Trust Vijay Mallya to make things glamourous. As if his Indian Empress parties were not enough, he invited a whole bouquet of stars to the Singapore Grand Prix who interacted and posed along with his crew :

1. Sonam Kapoor and Imran Khan posed with the drivers Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella and also with the car chasis.

2. Shilpa Shetty also enjoyed her time at the Force India PIT Garage :

All Images are Force India Media Images

Well the critics of the Indian Grand Prix have been proved right. It seems that India will not be ready to host a formula one grand prix by 2010. 2010 is also the year when India hosts the Commonwealth Games at New Delhi.

“It’s all going on as usual, but these things take time,”  “Probably 2011 is what I want.” Bernie Ecclestone was quoted by newspapers

Meanwhile Force India formula one team supremo Vijay Mallya acted surprised, he said that the track would be ready by 2010 and didnt really know what Bernie was thinking.

“The track will be ready next year and we will let Bernie decide. I don’t know what’s on his mind…but he makes the schedule.”

After impressing nearly everyone with his stunning show in the GP2 series, Karun Chandhok has seemed to impressed the man Vijay Mallya himself. So much so, that the liquor baron (also the owner of the Force India formula one team) is considering Karun Chandhok for a testing role in the Force India formula one team.

The Force India formula one team is budding with energy thanks to Vijay Mallya and his fresh input of much needed capital. But most Indians were sad at the fact that Vijay Mallya even though he named the team Force India, didnt get an Indian driver. That might change if Karun is indeed given the testing role for the 2009 season of formula one. Who knows he might be given the racing seat for the 2010 formula one season and we may see an Indian driving an Indian formula one car on a formula one race track in India.

“I would love to give Karun a go as a test driver first,” Vijay Mallya was quoted

“The race seat I think he is a year away from.

“I need to see him winning GP2 consistently, not an odd one here and there.

“He has it in him to do it and when he does it, sure I would love to have an Indian driver in the car if I could.

“But at the end of the day, on the one hand I cannot be encouraging the team’s performance and then doing something that might compromise the result.

“I don’t believe that Karun is there yet. I’m not saying he won’t get there. I am hoping he will.”

Karun Chandhok wins best driving style award

In more news , Indian driver Karun Chandhok also won the best driving style award at a glittering ceremony at Club Monza. Karun had had a fantastic season with iSport.

“Overall, it’s been a positive season. I am very pleased with the progress I have made this year,”  Karun Chandhok said.

“Winning my second GP2 race was a big highlight, and having been a regular front runner this year has put me in a good position in the que of drivers trying to break into Formula 1,”

“To win the award for the ‘best driving style’ is a fantastic way to end the season, and one I feel really proud of. It was the only award that was voted for by the fans of the championship on the GP2 website which makes it more special.”

Force India formula one team has gone one step ahead again in their quest to become a top team. They have implemented a seamless gearbox system which they hope will give them 3/10 of a second’s advantage.

Mike Gascoyne looked upbeat about the new developments :

Our simulations typically show a benefit of two to three tenths over one lap, and possibly
more as the driver has the option to get on the power earlier as the car isn’t upset by the gear change. The driver can therefore be much smoother with the acceleration, so there is less disturbance when cornering and under power. We will see an advantage everywhere as you will always ratio the gearbox to get the most out of it at each circuit, so its effect over a lap will be fairly consistent from circuit to circuit.

Karun Chandhok has done India proud yet again,  the iSport driver won the Hockenheim GP2 Sprint race which he had started from pole position. Describing his experience, Karun Chandhok said :

“That’s the first time I have scored points on a Sunday this year - and there couldn’t have been a better way to do it , I didn’t get a great start. The team fitted a new clutch overnight and I just didn’t manage to find the sweet spot. I got far too much wheel spin off the line, but I wasn’t too worried because I saw yesterday that Lucas di Grassi wears his tyres harder than we do  he was already starting to get sideways on the second lap. I sold him a nice dummy at the hairpin next time around and that was that.”

Is formula one calling already ?

Adiran Sutil regards the German Hockenheim Grand Prix as his home grand prix, infact he first visited the circuit when he was 12, that and more in this interview :

Q: You didn’t finish in Monaco, but do you think your performance there did your
reputation a lot of good?
‘It was similar to last year, when Monaco helped me quite a lot. After the season that was the only thing people could remember of Adrian Sutil was that he was in P1 in Monaco practice. I think it was even more effective this year with this race. In Monaco it seems like I’m always
good for a little show there! It was nice to take this chance. There will maybe be a few more chances this year, and we have to make sure to take these chances.’

Q: Are you hoping for rain in places like Spa, Fuji and Shanghai?
‘Spa was very good last year in the dry! Some rain and good strategies will help, for sure, but we have to perform in all conditions. We are not able to race in the midfield at the moment, and we have to improve our car. I think the last update is worth about two or three tenths. The car feels quite good, and there is a lot more potential in the new parts. But we have to hope for more rain, although this year there’s been quite a lot already! It’s sometimes hard, because when it’s wet you have to take a chance, and when it doesn’t work out, the disappointment is quite big.’

Interesting answer to the second question !

Everyone in the Force India formula one team was looking forward to this event. It was being touted as the home grand prix for the force India formula one team, but the qualifying at British Grand Prix 2008 at Silverstone turned out to be another dud.

The team has never really recovered from Monaco where Kimi Raikkonen hit Adrian Sutil from behind and denied Force India a points finish. Force India’s Giancarlo looked poised to set a good lap on Saturday, but a spin put him out of contention. Here are the reactions from the drivers and Mike Gascoyne:

Adrian Sutil

“It was quite a good qualifying for us as I think we could get nearly all the performance out of the car, although we had a little problem with graining on the front tyres that cost us a little bit of time. There is a better trend at the moment; we have a new update on the car, it works well and we are not too far away from the others - only about two tenths.”

Giancarlo Fisichella

“Unfortunately I had a problem with the engine cover during the session and I lost some downforce as the right side of the car was in a bad position. That said, I was only three tenths away from Q2 so it’s not too bad considering.”

Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer,Force India F1:

“An exciting qualifying session with the threat of rain throughout. As we expected we had clearly made a step forward to the group in front, but unfortunately just not quite enough this time out.

“Giancarlo had a problem with a loose piece of bodywork that we weren’t able to fix during the session as he got scrutinised twice. Then, on his last lap, which probably would have been enough to put him very close to Q2, he unfortunately spun in the complex at the end of the lap. While it is disappointing that we just missed out on Q2, it is encouraging that we are closer.”

Is it me or a podium finish at the 2010 Indian Grand Prix looks like a distant dream ? I am sure Mr. Vijay Mallya wont be too impressed !

For those of you worried about the bad state of public transport in New Delhi being a deterrent to coming for the 2010 Indian Grand Prix, things are definitely improving, see the new low floor disabled friendly buses from the DTC. The good thing is that the fares in these buses are the same as the other ones, the private bus operators are crying, while DTC cashes in on its new clean and efficient image.

By 2010, the whole old fleet shall be replaced by these new buses in preparation for the 2010 New Delhi commonwealth games, it will also be a boon for tourists coming to New Delhi for the 2010 FIA formula one Indian Grand Prix.

Below are the reactions of Force India formula one team after the Monaco Grand Prix 2008 in which Kimi Raikkonen rear-ended Adrian Sutil. The prediction of a podium at the 2010 Indian Grand Prix doesnt look too far fetched now, here is what Vijay Mallya had said earlier about attaining a podium finish at the 2010 Indian Grand Prix:

I urge all the cricket-loving fans in India to support the new team. I promise that you will not be disappointed.”

“The task ahead is challenging. It will need a lot of hard work, sweat and tears to make an impression.

“But I am sure with your blessing, prayers and good wishes, Force India will be on the podium when India hosts a race in 2010.”

Adrian Sutil , Germany, DNF, rear ended by Kimi Raikkonen who was trailing him !

‘I can’t believe it, it was so close. It feels like a pain in my heart. It is like a dream gone to a nightmare – suddenly you are in the car and it looks all fantastic, then you have to accept it is not going to happen. We had a really good strategy and it seemed to work and we were so close to the podium and the points. It was after the restart after the final safety car that Kimi had a problem under braking and crashed into the back of my car. The race was over and it was a real shock. A few tears came out as the adrenaline was high – I just can’t explain it. All the same I am so pleased that we did show was we can finally do as a team.’

Giancarlo Fisichella DNF
‘At the beginning of the race I was just careful to be out of the trouble, but then I lost first and second gear and I was running third gear. Even with the conditions the lap times were competitive and then I lost fourth gear and the race was over. It’s a real shame for the team, especially after Adrian’s performance that we could not score our first points here.’

Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer
‘I suppose sport has its highs and lows and unfortunately today Force India felt both of them. Giancarlo had a difficult day in his 200th race; soon into the race he lost first and second gear and, very impressively, drove for around 30 laps without them. He then lost fourth and we had no choice but to retire him. Adrian fast made up places in the race and with our one stop strategy we were able to keep him out and he could stop when it was dry. When the safety car came out we were comfortable and under control until Raikkonen lost it and went into the back of Adrian and broke his rear suspension. But that is life and I am sure that if we did it once, we can do it again.’

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and managing director
‘It was the saddest moment of my Motor Sports career. To achieve a top five position in Formula One and that too in Monaco was a dream that ended just seven minutes and less than five laps from the chequered flag with Kimi Raikonnen’s Ferrari running into the rear of Sutil’s car. Adrian Sutil drove a brilliant race, exhibited superlative car control in wet and slippery conditions and proved conclusively to the World that he is an exceptionally talented driver. All members of the Force India Formula One team came together and executed a brilliant race strategy and car set up. We have demonstrated that we are a much improved and competitive team now and we certainly had an opportunity to score championship points today. Giancarlo Fisichella has been troubled with gearbox problems all this weekend and lost three gears during the race despite which he was achieving quick lap times. We retired him from the race so as to avoid further damage. This performance in Monaco has given a huge boost to the confidence of the team and our drivers. Though we are sadly disappointed we will take away many positives and renew our determination to demonstrate further improvement over the rest of the season.’