Vijay Mallya was quoted as saying :

We are planning to introduce a significant aerodynamic upgrade for the Bahrain Grand Prix, including a new floor and an interim diffuser. Amongst other items, we also plan to use new auxiliary wings on the front wing and reprofiled sidepods to incorporate the amended rear end. We have been planning this upgrade since the debut of the VJM02 as part of our scheduled aerodynamic cycle and it will represent a good step forward for the team. Although we nevertheless expect other teams to have moved forward as well, we hope this will keep us racing with the rest of the field.

Adrian Sutil (car 20, VJM02/03):
FP1: 15th 1:37.241  (18 laps)
FP2: 16th 1:36.875  (36 laps)

Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21, VJM02/01):
FP1: 12th    1:37.025  (20 laps)
FP2: 19th 1:37.432  (27 laps)

3 April 2009 – The Force India Formula One Team today completed the opening day of practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit some 60km from the country’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. Under increasingly cloudy skies, Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil recorded times just over a second from the fastest lap of the day, with Giancarlo 12th and 19th in the morning and afternoon sessions respectively, and Adrian 15th and 16th. 

The team completed short runs on the harder tyre in the morning, but concentrated the majority of its programme on the afternoon session, with its high ambient temperatures and later time slot being more representative of the expected conditions for Sunday’s race, which will start at 17:00hrs this year. Both drivers compared the soft and hard tyre compounds available this weekend over both long and short runs, fine-tuned the set-up and reacclimatised to the tough physical pressures associated with the heat and humidity of this event.

The only blip in the programme was an accident for Giancarlo in the second practice. The Italian put a wheel on the grass at turn 11 20 minutes from the end of the session and went into the gravel trap and into the barriers. His VJM02 sustained suspension damage in the impact but will be repaired overnight in time for tomorrow’s final practice session and qualifying.

Adrian Sutil (car 20)

‘It was a good day today overall. We got through all our work and had no problems with the car. We have some work to do with the set up, it’s still a bit understeery in the high speed corners and we can still make some improvements in this respect. The soft tyres seem to work quite well, but the hard tyre at the moment is really hard and never seems to come in. Overall it was a pretty productive day to set us up well for the weekend.’

Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21)

‘We are still finding the best compromise under braking as there is front locking and poor grip and traction so we have to work a lot to make the balance work for us. Over the longer runs it doesn’t look too bad however. It’s a shame about the accident in the afternoon – I just went a little bit wide as there was some graining on the tyres and I lost control of the car. It was just unlucky to go onto the gravel and into the barriers.’

Martin Whitmarsh (GBR) McLaren Chief Executive Officer and Dr. Vijay Mallya (IND) Force India F1 Team Owner announce a technical partnership to supply Force India F1 with Mercedes-Benz engines and EADS.

Force India is all set to reveal their 2009 challenger the Vijay Mallya (VJM) 02 on Sunday 1st of March 2009. Its definitely one of the last teams to do so, doing it before only the Italy based Scuderia Torro Rosso team. The new car is powered by a Mercedes engine. Our readers will remember our news item about Force India switching partners from Ferrari to Mercedes for the supply of engines. The new car will be tested from Sunday on the Jerez de la Frontera formula one testing track.

Force India will be able to do 6 days of testing. Team owner Vijay Mallya seemed confident about his F1 outfit’s chances. He was quoted as saying :

“We will have six-day test, which I think is enough”Dr Vijay Mallya had said

“I think we would be ready for the first race & I’m confident we can be in the midfield.”

It is also believed that the VJM02 will be featuring the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) developed by the McLaren team. Both Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella will be there and will get a taste of the new car as its tested on a large number of parameters by the Silverstone based outfit.

It may be remembered that the team no longer has Mike Gascoyne and Collin Kollees and Vijay Mallya is now the top supremo calling the shots.

Lets hope the VJM02 gets the Force India team a few points in the 2009 formula one season.

Well good news and bad news.

The good news is that it really doesn’t look like Force India F1 team is in a financial crunch, i mean signing new brand ambassadors (Deepika Padhukone) , inviting actresses to launch parties etc.

The bad news is that the Indian F1 fan is again ignored. Instead of sponsoring an Indian fan to a F1 race, it seems that Force India F1 only cares about glamour. They have launched a show called Speed Divas with MTV which will hunt for 4 girls who will accompany the Force India F1 team globally.

The winner also gets to act in a motion picture (woohoo ?)

Reacting sharply to Vijay Mallya’s criticism for the 2 drivers,  a lot for people came out in support of both Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok

First to show his support was Bernie Ecclestone who also sees the commercial side of things in India. While the world battles an economic crisis, India is one of the countries which has put up a braver face. His support came for Karun Chandhok , he said Karun’s place is in formula one :

“The time is getting closer for F1 to be in India, which is something I am really enthusiastic about, and hopefully Karun Chandhok will be an important part of it.  His place is in F1” Bernie Ecclestone said

Tiago Monteiro came in support of his former teammate Narain Karthikeyan, he went on to say that Narain Karthikeyan can even win grand prix given the right car

“F1 is all about the car you are given. Give Narain a race-winning car and he will win races I can guarantee you” Tiago Monteiro said

And now come the people gunning for Mallya :

James Roberts said :

“Narain was abnormally brave in his ability to stay committed in high-speed corners in that Jordan car. Over one lap he may actually be even quicker than Giancarlo Fisichella . Karun is a great talent. I am surprised at what Mallya has said.”

Peter Windsor (according to an Indian newspaper said)

“It’s amusing when people who have made a lot of money come to F1 and make such ridiculous statements. It makes one wonder how they ever made that money! There is absolutely no question that Karun Chandhok has the ability to do well. He is at least as good as Adrian Sutil “

It appears that Mallya might have made the wrong comments at the wrong time !

As expected the Force India formula one has switched over to McLaren from Ferrari for engine supply. Lets see if this partnership can change their fortunes.

Force India Formula One Team Announces Technical Partnerships With Mclaren Applied Technologies, Mercedes-Benz Highperformanceengines And Eads

Force India Formula One Team is pleased to announce a major new partnership that will propel the team forward for the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship and beyond; a ground-breaking technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies (which is a company wholly owned by the McLaren Group) and with Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines.

In a unique long term deal, the Force India Formula One Team VJM02 cars will be powered by engines designed and built by Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, the first time that the legendary manufacturer has supplied another chassis constructor other than McLaren. Additionally, Force India will have access to the McLaren Group’s network of bespoke suppliers that has supported this year’s World Championship victory.

McLaren Applied Technologies will additionally supply the Force India Formula One Team cars with McLaren Racing gearboxes and hydraulic systems and will provide operational support to ensure Force India functions at its highest possible level.

The Force India Formula One Team also plans to fit its cars with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) that is currently being developed by Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines and McLaren Racing (which is also a company wholly owned by the McLaren Group).

In conjunction with aerospace company EADS – which, like McLaren and Mercedes, is also a global leader in its field – Force India Formula One Team announced that it will soon be expanding the computational fluid dynamics capability of its Brackley Aero Centre facility.

Dr. Vijay Mallya, chairman and managing director of Force India, commented: ‘We are absolutely delighted to be able to announce a technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, and also our plan to expand the composite manufacturing capability and drawing office within our Silverstone facility.

‘McLaren and Mercedes-Benz are two of the most famous names in motorsport history, having achieved great success in Grand Prix racing over many years, and most recently, a superb victory in probably the most dramatic World Championship Formula 1 has seen.

‘These new resources and developments will provide an enormous boost to our technical armoury and, as a result, we have high hopes of making good progress in 2009 and beyond.

‘Force India Formula One Team has been in existence for only one year, and inevitably our first season has constituted a learning period. But we said at the outset that we meant business and were not interested in merely making up the numbers. The announcement of our new technical partnership, combined with the new developments and resources outlined above, clearly underlines that we meant what we said. I would like personally to thank Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Max Mosley, both of whom offered their assistance and support throughout the gestation of this deal.’

‘Interest in Formula One in India, especially among the 300-million-plus professional-class demographic as well as in neighbouring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Abu Dhabi with a large Indian population, is growing at astonishing levels. Formula One commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone has declared plans to stage an Indian Grand Prix in 2011, in Delhi, our capital city, by which time Force India Formula One Team will be exactly that: a Formula One force in, and for, India.’

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.

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

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.”

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.’