Force India's 2015 car the VJM08 set for further delays

Force India's 2015 car the VJM08 set for further delays

It was announced this morning that Force India’s new car is unlikely to make an appearance on track until the final test of the pre-season but the team is still planning to attend the second test with its 2014 car.

Force India skipped the first test in Jerez this week believing there was little to gain from taking part with its 2014 car on an unrepresentative circuit. Barcelona also hosts the Spanish Grand Prix and is a near perfect proving ground for new cars, so the team is keen to test the new Pirelli tyres even if it can’t run them on the delayed VJM08.

In a statement that has been issued by the Force India team today, they have stated that they are trying to work hard to get to the Barcelona test at the end of the month and the car should appear then. The statement from the Force India team is as follows:-

‘Although everybody is working towards getting the VJM08 to the next test session in Barcelona, it’s more likely the new car will appear at the final Barcelona test. So, that would mean running the 2014 car at the first Barcelona test.’

The team’s absence has sparked rumours about its financial position, but in an interview with the media today, Force India’s Team Principal Vijay Mallya is bullish about building on last year’s good season. Mallya stated the following:-

‘We’ve come a long way in those eight years and the goal is to keep progressing. We were on the podium last year, which was an important boost, but actually I think we deserved more than that. So the target is to achieve more podiums in 2015 and we’ve taken some decisions recently to ensure we remain competitive.’

As Mallya points out the team have come on heaps and bounds in eight years and the goal as to be that they have to keep building on what they have achieved so far in the sport. The fact that Force India were on the podium last season with Sergio Perez in Bahrain shows that they can produce a car good near enough to get there but the car needs to be able to consistently perform in order to stay there. I see no reason that shouldn't happen if the car is consistent, fast and reliable.

But as for the goal that Mallya has set for the team this season, it will be tough for them to achieve it although if they have the car underneath them and they are able to extract the pace needed to do that over a course of a few race weekends, it could be really possible for the team.

With Force India having one of the strongest driver line ups on the grid in Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez, they have a driver line up with experience, youth and most importantly talent that have shown that they are deliver on the track if they have the car underneath them to do so.

Force India’s new livery was launched in Mexico last month and at the launch it was stated by Mallya himself that moving their wind tunnel operations to the Toyota facility in Cologne will pay off for them. Mallya stated the following at the launch of the VJM08’s new livery:-

‘For example, moving all our wind tunnel work to the Toyota facility in Cologne gives us access to a tunnel that is a match for any team on the grid. Of course, there will be some transition time as we adapt and get up-to-speed, but I’m confident it’s a decision that will stand us in good stead for the future.’

Even though you cannot disagree with what Mallyah has said in his interview at the launch of their livery, you have to say that it is a good step forward for the team and they will be able to use the windtunnel effectively in order to improve their car throughout the course of the season ahead.

But as Mallya points out, there will be time needed for transition in order for the team to fully understand how the windtunnel works and also performs. But it is clear that he is confident that this decision will help the team and its performance on the track in the near future.

But overall, even though Force India have stated their intention to be at the Barcelona test at the end of the month, things are still up the air and there could be more to this situation than we realise. With many pundits and fans believing that there is financial issues ongoing at the Force India team and speculation increasing day by day about the situation.

All we can say at present is that the team have not confirmed this issue and are working hard to get the car ready in time for the Barcelona test.

Because let's face it, even though things are not clear at what's going on within Force India at the moment, this is the last thing the team, their owners, their sponsors, their drivers and most importantly Formula One and also fans do not need going into the new season when the only thing they want to do is to go racing to the best of their ability.

I really hope that Force India can be ready for the Barcelona test in order to make up for the lost ground that they will have missed not running in the Jerez test this week because Force India certainly have a lot of catching up to do.

Sarah Jones