Force India’s new racer

This is the new Force India challenger for the upcoming Formula One season. The VJM03 is an evolution on last year’s car and the Silverstone-based squad hopes it can reward greater success after capturing its maiden pole position and podium finish in 2009.

Just like the other cars launched by the other teams, the VJM03 features the high nose and the shark-fin engine cover treatment as made typical based on this season’s technical rules.

Design director Mark Smith said the new car is an evolution of last year’s VJM02:

“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.

“Even with the ban of double diffusers for 2011, we recognise that we still have to push as much as we possibly can in this area in 2010 as we have targets to meet and the double diffuser is a key development aspect of the car.

“The VJM02 was a relatively low drag car that showed well on the low downforce tracks. As was demonstrated throughout 2009, that was a useful attribute but as we go into 2010 we have tried to maintain a high level of aerodynamic efficiency, but 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.”

Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi will race for Force India this year, with Paul di Resta installed as reserve and test driver.

6 thoughts to “Force India’s new racer”

  1. News articles on the Force India VJM03. Weblinks:

    Pictures of the new car – http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/02/09/force-india-launch-vjm03-pictures/
    Comparing the VJM02 with the new VJM03 – http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/02/09/force-india-vjm03-and-vjm02-compared/
    Force India news – http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2010/2/10414.html
    Force India launch – http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81346
    Q&A with Force India’s Szafnauer – http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81348
    Q&A with Force India’s Mark Smith – http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81350
    Q&A with Adrian Sutil – http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81352
    Q&A with Vitantonio Liuzzi – http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81354

  2. Force India boss Vijay Mallya says his team is aiming to score “more points and more podiums” in the 2010 season following a promising 2009.

    The Silverstone-based squad enjoyed what Mallya labelled as an exceptional 2009 season, in which the team scored its maiden podium as well as its first pole position on its way to ninth place in the standings.

    As Force India unveiled its 2010 challenger, Mallya stated more ambitious goals for the upcoming season.

    “Our goal is to continue on the same path of performance improvement that we had at the end of 2009,” said Mallya.

    “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?’

    The team’s design director Mark Smith said the new car is an evolution of the machine that enjoyed a strong second half of the season last year.

    “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,” Smith said. “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.

    “Even with the ban of double diffusers for 2011, we recognise that we still have to push as much as we possibly can in this area in 2010 as we have targets to meet and the double diffuser is a key development aspect of the car.”

    Smith is also hopeful the new car will be competitive on most types of tracks, unlike last year’s VJM02, which struggled on high-downforce circuits.

    “The VJM02 was a relatively low drag car that showed well on the low downforce tracks,” he added.

    “As was demonstrated throughout 2009, that was a useful attribute but as we go into 2010 we have tried to maintain a high level of aerodynamic efficiency, but 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.”

    Source: Autosport.com

  3. Adrian Sutil is confident his Force India team will enjoy a strong 2010 season after launching its new challenger on Tuesday.

    The German driver will start his fourth consecutive season at the Silverstone-based squad, having enjoyed his strongest campaign to date last year.

    “I hope we will have a good season and I am pretty confident we will,” said Sutil. “We have had a good winter and a very good development programme so expectations are high.

    “The car looks great, we did a positive step with the wind tunnel simulations but let’s test and see where we are. I know we need to perform well and from my side I have tried to be perfectly prepared.”

    He added: “2010 is a really important season and we are very optimistic about going well. When you start a season you always want it to be better than the previous one and I think this year it’s important to be consistent from the first race.

    “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 on the car and what I can do. I’d like to be in the midfield and be competitive from Bahrain.”

    Sutil, who scored fives points last year, believes stability will help his team continue moving forward after a promising 2009.

    “I feel really good in the team, it’s like family for me as they know me very well, they know how I work and my strengths and weakness,” he added. “With that kind of relationship they can really get the things that suit me and I have confidence in them to do it. At the end of last season I felt very good and it was hard to find a better option for 2010.

    “Over the past four years we have of course seen many different changes but when Vijay took over in 2007 it was a step in the right direction. He’s committed to go for it and he has his goals.

    “Right now we’re looking really good, we’ve sorted out all the issues and this winter has been a consistent working situation so it’s a big advantage. It’s nice to be one of the few teams who have stability now and can just focus on the racing.”

    Source: Autosport.com

  4. Vitantonio Liuzzi is viewing 2010 as a fresh start for his career, after finally getting a proper opportunity to show what he can do in Formula 1.

    The Italian says he has never felt more at home in an F1 team, having had difficult times at Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso in the past few years.

    “In Force India I feel really good, the atmosphere is great and the team works well together,” he said. “Even when I was in a difficult position last year as a test driver they were very supportive and I’ve built a good strong relationship with them.

    “I feel like I’m in a family and for sure much better environment than I have been in the past. This year is a new start for me. I’m a different person from two years ago and I am approaching it from a different mentality.

    “It’s a different Tonio and I’m looking forward to what can come. I’m still young and have a lot of time in front of me so I just want to prove what I can do.”

    Liuzzi is equally upbeat about the potential of the team’s new car, which will have its first test at Jerez in Spain on Wednesday.

    “I have to say that the team, looking at what we did last year, has done a fantastic job,” he said. “They never stopped working on the 2009 car to push right to the end, but have been flat out for 2010 as well.

    “I am really confident in the work they have done over the winter and we’ve built a car that can regularly be in the points. That’s also my aim, plus to be more consistent and competitive throughout the whole season.”

    Source: Autosport.com

  5. Force India’s new VJM03 may be mostly an evolution on last year’s design, but the team has made big strides with its double diffuser concept.

    Mark Smith, its design director, said fully optimising the double diffuser was one of the key areas for improvement that the team focused on over the winter.

    “[The car is] a natural progression in areas which seemed to have strong trends at the end of 2009, and in other areas it’s quite different,” he said.

    “The back of the car is the area that has evolved most as everyone has had a year of experience with the double diffusers so we’ve all gone into 2010 much wiser to what we can do. There have been some refinements in that area and it’s formed part of the make-up of the car this time around, rather than being added very quickly, as happened at the beginning of last year.

    “It’s natural now to design the car to take these devices. The gearbox is now a little bit easier to work around, and there are tweaks to make the diffuser potential bigger. So there are some notable differences.”

    Force India has also vowed to reconsider its use of the adjustable front wing flap, which is abandoned in the middle of last year.

    “I think it’s potentially more important [this year],” explained Smith. “No one really spoke about it much in the paddock last year, we didn’t get the impression it was a big boost for the drivers, so we were happy to do without it.

    “But given that you’ve got the scenario where you’ve got to manage the car in a race now, it’s a good thing to have if you can. So we’re making efforts to ‘future proof’ it this year.”

    Despite his optimism about the car, Smith is refusing to predict exactly how much the team’s efforts will pay off in terms of results this year.

    “We will only be in a position to answer that question once we have the first race under our belts,” he said. “The development rates in Formula 1 were very high last year and this has largely been maintained over the winter design period.

    “How this will manifest itself in relative terms between the teams remains to be seen.”

    Source: Autosport.com

  6. Well they finished on a high for sure so this will carry them far I’m sure. they are also not short of money in the form of Vijay Mallya. It’s just down to how much he’ll want to release to keep those developments going during the season.

    But it certainly seems like a happy team so while they might not challenge for the top spots, though of course they did do that a couple of times, of the rest they so have the potential to at the top of the rest.

    Last years season was one to watch and the first few races were eagerly watched by all. Despite there’s no OMG WTF is THAT Brawn car doing!?!?, the start of this one is waaaaay beyond that!.

    New teams, new rules, new points, THAT new/old driver! wow I really cannot wait. There is one HUUUUUUGE downer though.

    WHERE THE EFF IS OUR HDTV SERVICE!!!!

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