Jerez (Spain): Force India today unveiled its
VJM03 car for the 2010 Formula One season, claiming that the
newly-designed vehicle will be fit for all types of circuits
unlike last year's VJM02 which was quicker on low downforce
tracks.
Force India's chairman Vijay Mallya said his team is
looking forward to a strong performance right from the start
of the year in Bahrain.
"I don't think I am being over-proud when I say 2009 was
an exceptional year for us. The bare statistics say it all:
one podium, one pole position, one fastest lap, a further five
top 10 starts and 13 points. We've learnt from our experiences
and we've come out a better team: resilient, resourceful and
now resurgent.
"I hope 2010 will see this great progress carrying
forward. We've got one podium so far but I would hope that,
this time next year, I'm talking about more points and more
podiums. I'm confident we can get this, why not aim high?," he
said ahead of the car testing starting from tomorrow.
Adrian Sutil, who scored his first point for Force India
at Monza in September last by finishing fourth, said he would
look for a strong performance from the first race itself.
"2010 is a really important season and we are very
optimistic about doing well. I think this year it's important
to be consistent from the first race. I'd like to be in the
midfield and be competitive from Bahrain. "It's the first time we have been completely on schedule
so I feel this will be the first season when I can show from
the beginning to the end what is possible with the car and
what I can do. I hope we will be strong from the first
practice session," Sutil said.
VJM03, an evolution of last year's VJMO2, incorporates
the package of rule changes introduced for this year,
including the requirement for a larger fuel tank, necessitated
by the ban on refuelling, and a switch to narrower front
tyres.
Design director Mark Smith explained, "The VJM03 is
definitely an evolution of the VJM02 in terms of the design
philosophies we have developed at Force India over the last
year. We are very happy with the direction, therefore we have
opted to evolve the car rather than significantly revise.
"Obviously one of the major aspects we have had to
contend with are regulation changes which have had a
considerable impact on some aspects of the design of the car.
The removal of refuelling from races increases the amount of
fuel needed to be stored in the cars -- almost twice the
amount we ran in 2009.
"There is a compromise now: either make the car much
longer or wider, or, as we have done, a combination of both.
This of course has influenced the mechanical design solutions
and also the aerodynamics, specifically with respects to the
diffuser and bodywork." Asked the other differences between the new VJM03 and
VJM02, Smith explains, "Last year's VJM02 was noticeably
quicker on the low downforce circuits, however Mark is
confident that this year the VJM03 will be strong across the
board.
"The VJM02 was a relatively low drag car that showed well
on the low downforce tracks. That was a useful attribute (in
2009) but as we go into 2010 we have tried to maintain a high
level of aerodynamic efficiency. We recognise that our
championship position will be enhanced by a general level of
performance that is suited to all types of circuits. We have,
we believe, quite an efficient car overall."
The VJM03 will have its official testing debut tomorrow
here. Tonio Liuzzi will be on driving duties for the first two
days before Adrian Sutil takes over on February 12 for a
further two days. Test driver Paul di Resta will step into the
car on February 17.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, February 09, 2010, 17:26