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[[File:Adrian Sutil 2011 Malaysia FP2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Adrian Sutil]] at the [[2011 Malaysian Grand Prix]].]]
[[File:Adrian Sutil 2011 Malaysia FP2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Adrian Sutil]] at the [[2011 Malaysian Grand Prix]].]]
On 26 January 2011, the team announced that reserve driver [[Paul di Resta]] would be promoted to a race seat for the {{F1|2011}} season, to partner [[Adrian Sutil]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9371985.stm|work=[[BBC Sport]]|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=26 January 2011|accessdate=13 August 2011|title=Scot Paul di Resta gets F1 drive with Force India}}</ref> The team launched their new car, the [[Force India VJM04|VJM04]] on 8 February 2011 via an online launch. The VJM04 is the first car created under new technical director Andrew Green and developed using the resources from partners McLaren Applied Technologies and [[Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/racing/Force-India-launches-new-car-VJM-04/articleshow/7454733.cms/|title=Force India launches new car VJM-04|date=9 February 2011|accessdate=9 February 2011|first=Leslie|last=Xavier|work=The Times of India |publisher=The Times Group}}</ref> In the first race of the year in Australia, Sutil and di Resta finished the race in eleventh and twelfth places respectively but were later promoted to ninth and tenth after both [[Sauber]] cars were disqualified for a technical infringement relating to the rear wing of both their cars.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2011/3/11874.html|title=Saubers disqualified over technical infringement – updated|publisher=[[Formula One Group|Formula One Administration]]|date=27 March 2011|accessdate=6 April 2011}}</ref>
On 26 January 2011, the team announced that reserve driver [[Paul di Resta]] would be promoted to a race seat for the {{F1|2011}} season, to partner [[Adrian Sutil]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9371985.stm|work=[[BBC Sport]]|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=26 January 2011|accessdate=13 August 2011|title=Scot Paul di Resta gets F1 drive with Force India}}</ref> The team launched their new car, the [[Force India VJM04|VJM04]] on 8 February 2011 via an online launch. The VJM04 is the first car created under new technical director Andrew Green and developed using the resources from partners McLaren Applied Technologies and [[Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/racing/Force-India-launches-new-car-VJM-04/articleshow/7454733.cms/|title=Force India launches new car VJM-04|date=9 February 2011|accessdate=9 February 2011|first=Leslie|last=Xavier|work=The Times of India |publisher=The Times Group}}</ref> In the first race of the year in Australia, Sutil and di Resta finished the race in eleventh and twelfth places respectively but were later promoted to ninth and tenth after both [[Sauber]] cars were disqualified for a technical infringement relating to the rear wing of both their cars.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2011/3/11874.html|title=Saubers disqualified over technical infringement – updated|publisher=[[Formula One Group|Formula One Administration]]|date=27 March 2011|accessdate=6 April 2011}}</ref>

They got more points in [[2011 Malaysian Grand Prix|Malaysia]] before Di Resta's retirement in [[2011 Turkish Grand Prix|Turkey]]. [[Adrian Sutil]] carried on a line of good [[Monaco Grand Prix]]s with a strong point scoring finish. In Canada, Di Resta crashed in a great weekend with more points for Sutil in Europe. Di Resta was bound for points in Britain before a collision with Buemi, whilst Sutil outsmarted the Mercedes cars in Germany after beating them. Di Resta finished 7th in Hungary, 8th in Italy and took his best race result on the tough streets of Singapore with 6th.


==Sponsorship and partners==
==Sponsorship and partners==

Revision as of 20:49, 30 September 2011

India Force India-Mercedes
File:Force India logo.png
Full nameForce India F1 Team
BaseSilverstone, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
Team principal(s)Vijay Mallya
Websitewww.forceindiaf1.com
Formula One World Championship career
First entry2008 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Races entered68
Constructors'
Championships		0
Drivers'
Championships		0
Race victories0
Podiums1
Pole positions1
Fastest laps1
2010 position7th (68 points)

Force India F1 is the trading name of Force India Formula One Team Limited, a Silverstone, England based Formula One motor racing team which currently holds an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 2007 when a consortium led by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and Michiel Mol bought the Spyker F1 team for € 88 million.[1] Force India F1 represents increased Indian participation within Formula One, with Greater Noida set to host the first Indian Grand Prix in 2011.[2] The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile confirmed the change in name from Spyker to Force India on 24 October 2007.[3]

After going through 29 races without scoring points, Force India won their first Formula One world championship points and podium place when Giancarlo Fisichella finished second in the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix,[4] Force India scored points again in the following race when Adrian Sutil finished fourth, and set the team's first fastest lap, at the Italian Grand Prix. The team's current drivers are Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta, with Nico Hülkenberg as the reserve.

History

Origins

Jordan
Main article: Jordan Grand Prix

The team has its origins in the Jordan Grand Prix team, which entered Formula One racing in 1991 based at the Silverstone racing circuit. Jordan enjoyed many years in Formula One, winning four races and achieving third place in the 1999 constructors title. However, like many of the smaller teams in the 2000s, financial problems meant the team's performance dried up, and team owner Eddie Jordan sold to the Midland Group in 2005.

Midland F1 & Spyker
Main articles: Midland F1 Racing and Spyker F1

The re-named Midland F1 Racing team spent two seasons at the back of grid, before owner Alex Shnaider sold the team on to Spyker Cars mid-way through the 2006 season.[5] Spyker F1 scored a point in 2007 and briefly led the European Grand Prix; despite this, the team once again hit financing issues,[6] and was sold on to Indian businessman Vijay Mallya, Chairman of the United Breweries Group and Michiel Mol, Spyker’s Formula One Director.[1]

Force India
Adrian Sutil testing for Force India in January 2008.

The team, bought for € 88 million,[7] was renamed as Force India Formula One Team for the 2008 season, and retained team principal Colin Kolles, Chief Technology Officer Mike Gascoyne and driver Adrian Sutil.[7]

2008: Beginnings and Ferrari engines

After retaining Adrian Sutil for the team's first season, Force India conducted winter tests for the second driver and testing roles. Ex-Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella was chosen for the race seat, and Vitantonio Liuzzi secured the reserve role;[8] they were to drive an updated version of the Spyker F8-VIIB chassis with Ferrari engines, christened the Force India VJM01.[9] Testing of the car begun in February, after the gold, tungsten and white liveried car was launched at the Gateway of India in Mumbai.[10] With an increased budget and wind tunnels from defence company EADS,[11] the team set itself the target of beating Super Aguri, a squad which spent the previous seasons contesting at the back with Force India's predecessors.[11]

Giancarlo Fisichella leads Adrian Sutil at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.

Melbourne was the scene of Force India's first race, and although the Australian Grand Prix gave the team a poor start with both drivers retiring in the first few laps,[12] the following race in Malaysia saw Fisichella's twelfth place earn the team's first finish. After disappointing results in the opening races, Sutil gave the team the chance to score its first points in the wet Monaco Grand Prix, but towards the end of the race Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari lost control and hit Sutil's car causing immediate retirement.[13] Although a furious Gascoyne called for Raikkonen to be penalised,[14] overtakes under yellow flag conditions would have meant Sutil receiving a time penalty post-race, dropping him out of points.[15] Continuous updates to improve reliability and performance allowed the team to close the gap to the fastest teams during the mid-season, despite Super Aguri's withdrawal meaning the two cars started from the rear of the grid for the majority of races. A seamless-shift transmission introduced at Valencia marked the end of development for the car;[16] team owner Mallya had realised underinvestment and continued changes of ownership had led the team to fall behind.[16] Force India had been focusing on 2009 since Mallya brought the team, believing that the new regulations would yield better results.[17][18] Despite halting work on the VJM01, Fisichella put his car to a season-best 12th on the grid at the Italian Grand Prix during a extremely wet qualifying session; he was however to crash out during the race.[19] Fisichella continued his good form by reaching second during the Singapore round and fifth at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix; a safety car before his pit stop prevented points in Singapore, while transmission issues in Brazil left him 18th and two laps down.[20] Force India finished the season tenth place in the Constructors Championship, and Fisichella achieved the best finish of tenth at the Spanish Grand Prix.[20]

2009: Mercedes engines and success

Force India retained the same drivers for the 2009 season.[21] At the wet Chinese Grand Prix, Sutil almost secured Force India's first points, holding sixth place in front of Lewis Hamilton and Timo Glock with six laps remaining when aquaplaning led to the Force India car skidding off the road and crashing out of the race. At the German Grand Prix, Sutil qualified in seventh place and battled for the points, reaching second at one point, before colliding with Kimi Räikkönen after exiting the pit lane and being forced to pit again to change a broken front wing. He finished 15th.

Force India gained their first pole position in Formula One when Fisichella qualified fastest at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa.[22] He finished the race in second position, less than a second behind Kimi Räikkönen earning Force India's first ever points and podium position. Missing the win was partially blamed on the car's lack of KERS, a system present on the Ferrari.

On 3 September 2009, Force India announced that they were releasing Fisichella from his contract to allow him to race for Ferrari for the remainder of the season. It was announced four days later that test driver Vitantonio Liuzzi would replace Fisichella for the remaining races.[23]

In qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Sutil qualified second and Liuzzi, on his race debut for the team, qualified seventh. On race day, Sutil finished fourth and clocked the fastest lap of the race. While running fourth in the race, Liuzzi had to retire due to a transmission failure. Force India finished the season ninth in front of Scuderia Toro Rosso with 13 points, however, this did not reflect the vast improvement Force India had made from the start of the season.

VJM02

Main article: Force India VJM02
Vitantonio Liuzzi at the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix.

The VJM02 was powered by Mercedes-Benz engines from the 2009 season after signing a five year deal on 10 November 2008. The deal also included a supply of McLaren-Mercedes gearboxes, hydraulic systems and the KERS feature. The car was revealed on 1 March 2009.[24] The VJM02 was the first Force India car to pick up points, pole position and fastest lap at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix but the race was won by Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen.

2010 season

Vitantonio Liuzzi driving during practice for the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix.

The team announced on 27 November 2009, that it was to keep Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi for the 2010 season.[25] The team tested Paul di Resta and J. R. Hildebrand at Jerez, with di Resta setting a much faster time.[25] The VJM03 was the team's 2010 Formula One season chassis.[26] Di Resta was confirmed as the team's test driver on 2 February 2010.[27] On 9 February 2010, Force India unveiled their new car, the VJM03, which will be used in the 2010 season.

The 2010 season began with points in Bahrain, with Liuzzi finishing in ninth position. Sutil had qualified in tenth, but was involved in a first-lap incident with the Renault of Robert Kubica. He ultimately recovered to finish in twelfth position. In Australia, Sutil again qualified in the top ten, with Liuzzi qualifying thirteenth. Liuzzi finished the race in seventh, while Sutil retired with an engine problem. In Malaysia Sutil scored ten points with fifth and Liuzzi retired early due to a throttle problem, his first retirement of the season. In the next few races, apart from a retirement from Liuzzi, the Force Indias had quiet races in the midfield, staying mainly out of the action in front of and behind them, with Sutil scoring points in Spain. At Monaco both cars finished the race in eighth and ninth, avoiding the numerous incidents, giving the team their first double points finish. In Turkey, Sutil finished 9th scoring two points, while Liuzzi finished 13th. At the following race in Montreal, both cars finished in the points, with Liuzzi finishing 9th and Sutil in 10th.

A number of senior personnel left the team during the season, with technical director James Key being the highest-profile member, leaving to join Sauber in a similar role. Chief designer Lewis Butler, head of aerodynamics Marianne Hinson, and commercial director Ian Phillips also left the outfit.[28]

2011 season

Adrian Sutil at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.

On 26 January 2011, the team announced that reserve driver Paul di Resta would be promoted to a race seat for the 2011 season, to partner Adrian Sutil.[29] The team launched their new car, the VJM04 on 8 February 2011 via an online launch. The VJM04 is the first car created under new technical director Andrew Green and developed using the resources from partners McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines.[30] In the first race of the year in Australia, Sutil and di Resta finished the race in eleventh and twelfth places respectively but were later promoted to ninth and tenth after both Sauber cars were disqualified for a technical infringement relating to the rear wing of both their cars.[31]

They got more points in Malaysia before Di Resta's retirement in Turkey. Adrian Sutil carried on a line of good Monaco Grand Prixs with a strong point scoring finish. In Canada, Di Resta crashed in a great weekend with more points for Sutil in Europe. Di Resta was bound for points in Britain before a collision with Buemi, whilst Sutil outsmarted the Mercedes cars in Germany after beating them. Di Resta finished 7th in Hungary, 8th in Italy and took his best race result on the tough streets of Singapore with 6th.

Sponsorship and partners

Kingfisher, a brand owned by Vijay Mallya, is the primary sponsor. Other sponsors for 2008 included ICICI Bank, Medion, Kanyan Capital, Reebok and Reliance Industries Limited.[32] The above sponsors, except ICICI Bank and Kanyan Capital, continue to sponsor the team in 2009. New sponsors include AVG, Airbus and Whyte & Mackay.

In December 2009, Computational Research Laboratories (CRL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, and Force India Formula One Team announced an exclusive three-year multi-million dollar partnership deal to offer a fully automated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solution to aid the design of the team’s next generation race cars as well improve aerodynamic efficiency in the current racing models.[33] Force India F1 has tied up with Airbus and EADS for technological support, and has a technical partnership with McLaren.[34]

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Chassis Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Points WCC
2008 Force India VJM01 Ferrari 056 V8 B AUS MAL BHR ESP TUR MON CAN FRA GBR GER HUN EUR BEL ITA SIN JPN CHN BRA 0 10th
Germany Adrian Sutil Ret Ret 19 Ret 16 Ret Ret 19 Ret 15 Ret Ret 13 19 Ret Ret Ret 16
Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Ret 12 12 10 Ret Ret Ret 18 Ret 16 15 14 17 Ret 14 Ret 17 18
2009 Force India VJM02 Mercedes FO 108W V8 B AUS MAL CHN BHR ESP MON TUR GBR GER HUN EUR BEL ITA SIN JPN BRA ABU 13 9th
Germany Adrian Sutil 9 17 17 16 Ret 14 17 17 15 Ret 10 11 4 Ret 13 Ret 17
Italy Giancarlo Fisichella 11 18 14 15 14 9 Ret 10 11 14 12 2
Italy Vitantonio Liuzzi Ret 14 14 11 15
2010 Force India VJM03 Mercedes FO 108X V8 B BHR AUS MAL CHN ESP MON TUR CAN EUR GBR GER HUN BEL ITA SIN JPN KOR BRA ABU 68 7th
Germany Adrian Sutil 12 Ret 5 11 7 8 9 10 6 8 17 Ret 5 16 9 Ret Ret 12 13
Italy Vitantonio Liuzzi 9 7 Ret Ret 15 9 13 9 16 11 16 13 10 12 Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret
2011 Force India VJM04 Mercedes FO 108Y V8 P AUS MAL CHN TUR ESP MON CAN EUR GBR GER HUN BEL ITA SIN JPN KOR IND ABU BRA 48* 6th*
Germany Adrian Sutil 9 11 15 13 13 7 Ret 9 11 6 14 7 Ret 8
United Kingdom Paul di Resta 10 10 11 Ret 12 12 18 14 15 13 7 11 8 6

* Season in progress.
The beginning of the 2010 season saw the introduction of a new points system in F1.

References

  1. ^ a b "Mallya and Mol set for Spyker takeover". formula1.com. Formula One Administration Ltd. 3 September 2007. Retrieved 2010=07-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ "Indian Grand Prix debut pushed back to 2011". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 30 September 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
  3. ^ "FIA approve Spyker's Force India name change". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration Ltd. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2007.
  4. ^ "Spa-Francorchamps results". BBC Sport. 30 August 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
  5. ^ "Midland sells MF1 Racing to Spyker". grandprix.com. Inside F1, Inc. 9 September 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  6. ^ "Spyker considers selling F1 team". Haymarket Publications. 14 August 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2010. {{cite news}}: Text "workautosport.com" ignored (help)
  7. ^ a b "Spyker change name to Force India". BBC Sport. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2007.
  8. ^ "Fisichella, Sutil, Liuzzi confirmed at Force India". formula1.com. Formula One Administration Ltd. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  9. ^ Joseph, Noah (11 February 2008). "Force India blings out the VJM01". Autoblog. Weblogs, Inc. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  10. ^ "Force India usher in a new era at Mumbai launch". formula1.com. Formula One Administration Ltd. 7 February 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  11. ^ a b Batra, Ruhi (9 February 2008). "Force India's first target will to beat Aguri". The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  12. ^ Tremayne, David (17 March 2008). "Australia race analysis – an afternoon of surprises". formula1.com. Formula One Administration Ltd. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  13. ^ "Monaco GP – Sunday – Race Report: In the wheeltracks of giants". GrandPrix.com. Inside F1, Inc. 25 May 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
  14. ^ "Gascoyne: Kimi should be penalised". ITV-F1.com. ITV plc. 25 May 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
  15. ^ Simon Strang (25 May 2008). "Sutil reprimanded for passing under yellow". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Archived from the original on 16 September 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ a b "Seamless shift Force India's last major '08 development". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration Ltd. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  17. ^ Noble, Jonathan (15 July 2008). "Force India set to switch focus to 2009". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 16 August 2008.
  18. ^ "The 2008 newcomers – Force India". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration Ltd. 10 March 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  19. ^ "Italy Sunday quotes: Force India". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. 14 September 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  20. ^ a b "2008 Team Review – Force India". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration Ltd. 24 November 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  21. ^ "Force India keep drivers for 2009". BBC Sport. 17 October 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  22. ^ "Spa-Francorchamps results: qualifying". BBC Sport. 29 August 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  23. ^ "Liuzzi replaces Fisichella at Force India". Reuters India. 7 September 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  24. ^ "VJM 02 to be revealed on Sunday". IndianGrandPrix.net. WordPress. 24 February 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  25. ^ a b "ESPN F1 | Formula 1 news and live F1 coverage". En.f1-live.com. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
  26. ^ "Perfect Partners – Exclusive Q&A with Force India's Simon Roberts". formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  27. ^ Elizalde, Pablo (2 February 2010). "Force India signs di Resta as reserve". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
  28. ^ Collantine, Keith (2 June 2010). "Mark Smith leaves Force India for Lotus". F1 Fanatic. Keith Collantine. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  29. ^ "Scot Paul di Resta gets F1 drive with Force India". BBC Sport. BBC. 26 January 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  30. ^ Xavier, Leslie (9 February 2011). "Force India launches new car VJM-04". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  31. ^ "Saubers disqualified over technical infringement – updated". Formula One Administration. 27 March 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  32. ^ "Sponsors". forceindiaf1.com. Force India. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  33. ^ "CRL partners with Force India to help design the next generation of Formula 1 cars". forceindiaf1.com. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  34. ^ "Force India's first target will be to beat Aguri". India Times. 8 February 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2007.
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