L A U N C H S P E C I A L I FORCE INDIA
Belatedly, the
force awakens
Production delays meant Force India’s VJM08 wasn’t ready for the first two pre-season
tests, but it proved reliable once it finally hit the track in Spain. By GARY ANDERSON
FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES VJM08
I’ve been there myself many times and it’s
frustrating when the handbrake is on. But, to
the team’s credit, it got the car to the final
pre-season test and managed to rack up 365
laps, which shows that the team is technically
strong. It’s a compliment to all involved.
It’s difficult to say where the team is at
financially but, if you look at the problems
It has been a long and tough winter for the
Force India team from every point of view.
Financially, they have been left playing catchup and this is when you get the problems of
the different objectives of management and
design. The design side always wants to push
on, but the team management’s job is to
ensure that the numbers add up.
B-SPEC CAR
The car has a lot in common with the 2014 Force
India chassis, to the point where you could call it a
b-spec version. But that’s not a bad thing, because
Force India has shown it can be an effective and
innovative team. If the problems of last year have
been eliminated, and the necessary refinements
put in place, it should be an effective package.
18 AUTOSPORT.COM MARCH 5 2015
S BLOXHAM/LAT
18
DUNBAR/LAT
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McLaren has had, by contrast Force India has
at least been able to produce a reliable car. It
looks to be a neat and tidy package, showing
the team has learned from 2014. Last year, it
went down a developmental dead end, and
when that happens you have to dig deep to
find a new baseline. It seems that Force India
has achieved this with the new car.
2014 CAR
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