Month: February 2015

Following delays in the build of the new VJM08, Force India has finally revealed images of their 2015 challenger.

The Silverstone-based outfit were unable to take part in the two test sessions at Jerez and Barcelona but now the new car is ready, just in time for the final pre-season test before racing starts in the Australian Grand Prix next month.

Force India did some track running using the 2014 car at the Circuit de Catalunya and it was vital for the team and drivers in preparation for the new Formula 1 season.

Ahead of the final pre-season test which begins at Barcelona, Force India have now released the first image of the VJM08 and confirmed the car will arrive in Spain on the second day of running.

“The VJM08 will arrive in Barcelona on Friday morning and the final set-up will take place in the garage at the track,” Force India’s chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer said.

“We are aiming to get out on Friday and the new car will run as much as possible over the weekend.”

Szafnauer said the delayed build process had made rapid progress of late.

“It has progressed well over the last few days and the car has now been fired up at the factory,” he said.

“That’s always the key moment when the car truly comes to life.

“We have seen a tremendous effort from every department over the last few months to get us to this stage and we’re looking forward to seeing the car take to the track later this week.”

Although the team unveiled their newly “aggressive” livery for this season back in January, the first rendered image of the VJM08 reveals a shorter nose design than seen before.

Force India are once again powered by Mercedes power units and will field drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.

Red Bull Racing’s new 2015 challenger has emerged for the first time at Jerez, with a distinctive and yet awesome camouflage livery.

The four-time champion outfil decided not to carry out any form of official launch or car unveiling for the Renault-powered RB11, instead heading straight out of the garage in the surprise colour scheme without any fanfare.

Daniel Ricciardo takes the honours of shaking down the RB11 on the first day of running at Jerez.

Scuderia Toro Rosso graduate Daniil Kvyat replaces Ferari-bound Sebastian Vettel as his team-mate for 2015.

Red Bull Racing’s chief engineering officer Rob Marshall, who has stepped into the new role following Adrian Newey’s change of emphasis, said that the majority of changes from the 2014 would be hard to spot, but that significant steps had been made.

“There are some changes that affect the shape of the front of the car but beyond that most of the changes are under the skin,” he said.

“We’ve identified the areas where we can make improvements and we’ve worked hard on these.

“There won’t be a lot that’s visible to the naked eye but a lot of hard work has gone into the bits that are hidden.”

Team boss Christian Horner had previously admitted that Red Bull Racing had opted for its tightest-ever car build programme in order to ensure that maximum developments were on the RB11.

The 2014 world champions Mercedes AMG Formula 1 have officially unveiled its W06 Hybrid at Jerez, ahead of the first pre-season test.

Mercedes hopes that this car can help defend their drivers’ and constructors’ crowns in the upcoming Formula 1 season, as testing kicks off.

“The launch of a new car is an exciting moment for everybody involved,” said Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. “To see the product of all that hard work turn a wheel for the first time is a great source of pride – and rightly so.

“However, there is a long road ahead before we reach the first race. We must build a fast, reliable racing car to be able to compete with rivals whose ability and competitiveness can never be underestimated. At this point, every team is on zero points.”

The Silver Arrows completed a brief shakedown run earlier at Silverstone and the social media channel released a few initial ‘spyshots’ of the W06 Hybrid.

Title-winner Lewis Hamilton and championship runner-up Nico Rosberg tried the W06 Hybrid during the Silverstone run, with Rosberg set to carry out the first full test at Jerez before handing over to his team-mate for more development work.