Force India Saved By Stroll

FORCE INDIA SAVED BY STROLL

    Force India has been saved after a consortium of investors, led by the father of Williams driver Lance Stroll, had its bid for the team accepted by administrators.

    Lawrence Stroll, along with a number of business men and financial experts, agreed a deal with Force India’s administrator, FRP Advisory, on Tuesday.

    All 405 jobs at the team have been saved and creditors – including Mercedes and driver Sergio Perez – have been paid.

    The team also now has access to funds and plans to bring upgrades to Spa, or Monza at the very latest.

    The consortium is made up of seven men. Alongside Stroll are Canadian businessman Andre Desmarais, head of Monaco Sports and Management Jonathan Dudman, Michael Kors CEO John Idol, American businessman John McCaw Jnr, financial expert Michael de Picciotto, and Silas Chou, Stroll’s business partner.

    They take over ownership of the team from Vijay Mallya and Orange India Holdings Sarl.

    “This outcome secures the future of the Force India team in Formula 1 and will allow our team of racers to compete to our full potential,” the team’s chief operating officer, Otmar Szafnauer, said in a statement.

    “I am delighted that we have the support of a consortium of investors who believe in us as a team and who see the considerable business potential that Force India has within F1 now and in the future.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Force India Enters Administration

FORCE INDIA ENTERS ADMINISTRATION

    Force India Formula 1 team has entered administration after a court ruling ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

    The team owes a number of creditors, including engine supplier Mercedes and driver Sergio Perez.

    The team will be able to continue operating under an administrator, FRP advisory, while a buyer is sought.

    FRP Advisory has hit frustrations trying to sell the team, with all other teams having to agree to allow Force India’s new owners to retain the commercial rights and to receive its F1 prize fund payment in advance.

    The teams met in Budapest to discuss the matter, but McLaren, Williams, and Renault all opted to not sign the agreement for the time being.

    Meanwhile, Force India won’t be able to bring updates to its cars until a new owner is found.

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Force India Unveil 2018 Livery

(Image credit to: Sahara Force India F1 Team)

    Force India may have left it late to unveil its 2018 Formula 1 car, but fans will have to wait even longer to see the VJM11 that will line up on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix.

    The team has opted to run a ‘launch specification’ at preseason testing, an updated version of the 2017 machine. This will give the aerodynamics team more time to develop the car.

    “Looking at the VJM11, the DNA of the car is still very much that of last year’s car,” said technical director Andrew Green.

    “We took the decision, quite a while ago, that the launch specification of thee 2018 car would be based around our understanding of the 2017 car, but with all the new structures required by the regulations in place.

    It is a starting point, a good reference from which to introduce changes quite quickly; it gives our aerodynamics department more time to develop a car for the first race in Australia, rather than having to release parts early for testing.”

    The car may be an ‘evolution’ of its predecessor, but Force India was forced to redesign the chassis in order to incorporate the halo head protection device, a huge expense to the independent team.

    Though the new chassis passed the crash test  on the first time of asking, the squad is still developing the car to try to neutralize the impact the halo has on the aerodynamics.

    “We have the opportunity to apply some cladding around parts of the structure to try and mitigate the losses, but it’s still a very difficult structure to make aerodynamically neutral,” said Green.

    “At the moment, it has a negative effect, but we are in the process of minimizing its impact and hopefully we will get it down to zero in the near future. It’s one of the challenges we are dealing with at the moment – it is not a massive one but it is something we would rather not have from an aero perspective. It’s the same for everyone, however, and you will not see a final solution until we get to Melbourne.”

    Despite the challenges, Force India is aiming high this season. After two consecutive fourth place finishes in the constructors’ championship, team boss Vijay Mallya is confident the team can continue the strong performances.

    “Everybody keeps telling me that it will be difficult to repeat the double fourth place, but there is no reason why we cannot consolidate our position and improve.

    Yes Formula 1 is a very tough and competitive environment, but we are an established team with continuity in all areas of the company. We don’t take anything for granted but we will be disappointed if we are not fighting for points at every race this year.”

    The team will once again run a pink livery, with sponsor BWT remaining on-board for a second season.

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Perez Confirmed At Force India For 2018

SERGIO PEREZ TO STAY WITH FORCE INDIA IN 2018

    Sergio Perez will continue alongside Esteban Ocon at Force India next season after signing a one-year extension with the team.

    Despite a difficult start to the season in which he came to blows with new team-mate Ocon, who signed a multiyear deal with Force India at the start of the year, Perez claimed staying with the team was an “easy decision.”

    “Staying with Sahara Force India was always my priority,” he said.

    “It’s a team that has allowed me to show my talents as a driver and I feel very happy here. I’m proud of everything we have already achieved together and I think there is more to come.

    The team has done an amazing job this year to develop the car and establish our position as the fourth best team in Formula 1. In the end, it was an easy decision to continue our journey together.”

    Force India is eager to promote stability within the team to continue its climb up through the constructors’ rankings.

    “Sergio has played an important role in our success story over the last few years,” said team principal Vijay Mallya. “Since joining us in 2014, he has matured to become one of the quickest and most consistent drivers on the grid. His track record speaks for itself as the most successful Force India driver ever with four podiums."

    "Alongside Esteban, retaining Sergio gives us stability going into next season and one of the most exciting driver pairings in Formula 1.”

    2018 will be Perez’s eighth season in F1. The Mexican joined the championship in 2011 with a two-year stint at Sauber. In only his second year, Perez took two second place finishes and a third to finish 10th in the standings before switching to McLaren.

    After an unhappy year at McLaren, where his best finish was a fifth in India, Perez switched to Force India. In his four years at the team, Perez has taken four third place finishes and 100 points. He is currently seventh in the drivers’ championship.

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Sahara Force India Reveal 2017 Car

FORCE INDIA REVEAL 2017 VJM10

    Force India are targeting the top three as they try to build on their most successful year in Formula One to date.

    The team beat Williams to fourth in the constructors’ championship last season, taking two podiums in the process, and now the aim is to go one step further and bring the challenge to the top three.

    “The passion to improve further is going to be pretty relevant in 2017,” said team principal Vijay Mallya. “If we did not dream big we would not have finished fourth in the world championship last year.

    “We will always dream big. We have never said, even in private, that we cannot break into the top three. That is going to be our objective. We’re going to give it our best shot.”

    Though some have speculated “poorer” teams such as Force India will struggle with the new regulations due to the lack of resources, the team is optimistic for the season ahead.

    Force India have totally redesigned the car to comply with the new regulations, and have launched the most controversial design to date. The VJM10 includes a “2014” style three pronged nose and a large shark fin, but the car may not look this way for long.

    “The 2017 regulations have meant that everybody has to start with a clean slate,” Mallya said. “I know that we have to continue to develop this car right through the 2017 season. There’s no stopping, because we’re starting from scratch. All teams will probably be doing the same.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Ocon Confirmed At Force India For 2017

OCON TO PARTNER PEREZ AT FORCE INDIA IN 2017

    Esteban Ocon will join Sergio Perez at Force India in his second Formula One season. Ocon replaces Nico Hulkenberg, who has already announced he’ll be switching to Renault next season.

    A number of drivers have been linked to the seat after Hulkenberg announced his departure from the team, including Ocon’s Manor fellow Mercedes Junior Pascal Wehrlein. The seat was the only empty seat in the top five teams, with Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Williams already locking in their 2017 line up.

    Ocon, who entered Formula One this season with Manor Racing ahead of the Italian GP, has already tested with the team, working as a test driver for Force India last season. The twenty year old is yet to score a point in Formula One.

    “I’m still relatively new to Formula One, but spending half a season at Manor Racing has given me some valuable experience, and I feel ready for this new opportunity with Sahara Force India,” said Ocon.

    “It’s something I’ve been working towards my whole life and I intend to grab this opportunity with both hands so that I can deliver the results the team expects from me.”

    Team Principal Vijay Mallya explained how the team have been following Ocon for a number of years.

    “We’ve had our eye on Esteban for a number of years, and have followed his progress through the junior categories where he delivered outstanding results,” he said. “We ran him in the car last year during testing and his performance convinced us that he is more than capable of racing alongside Sergio.”

    It was expected Force India, who will continue to run Mercedes power units next season, would choose a Mercedes Junior driver to fill their line up, but the decision of Ocon over Wehrlein has to be a blow to the Brit, who is still without a seat. Ocon’s “promotion” could be a sign of how Mercedes rate their junior drivers, which means we could see Ocon replace Wehrlein as the most likely to jump into a Mercedes seat when either Mercedes driver leaves.

    Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff described the decision as a “positive development for Formula One.”

    “Esteban has the most impressive track record in junior formulae and he is an exceptional personality outside of the car,” Wolff said. “Force India have a strong record of working with young drivers and have again shown courage and vision to take Esteban under their wing. Even more, it is a positive development for Formula One that talent wins over money and we will be seeing some of the most impressive youngsters fighting to make it to the top in Formula One over the coming years.”

    The confirmation means silly season is nearly over. Sauber and Manor have still not announced their line ups, though it is widely expected Sauber will continue with Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr, whilst Haas still has a single driver to announce. It is expected Kevin Magnussen will take the seat, but nothing is confirmed.

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Perez Confirms Stay at Force India for 2017

PEREZ TO STAY WITH FORCE INDIA FOR 2017

    Sergio Perez has confirmed he will remain at Sahara Force India for the 2017 Formula One championship.

    After giving his sponsors until the Japanese Grand Prix next weekend to finalise the agreement, Perez announced he won’t be leaving the team he’s raced at since 2014.

    The Mexican had been linked to both Williams and Haas, but fans and commentators will now have to wait until this time next year to speculate where Perez will head next.

    “I’m very happy with this team and I have a good feeling for the future,” Perez said. “I’ve seen the progress we’ve made over the last couple of years and I’m sure we have the potential to achieve even more going forward. The team know me well and it’s important to have stability, especially with some big rule changes planned for next year.”

    Perez said he was excited for the new challenge that will come next season, and thanked his sponsors for supporting him.

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Force India Launch 2016 Car

Sahara Force India started their 2016 season with the launch of their VJM09 in the pit lane ahead of the preseason testing.

The car is an evolution of the b-spec chassis that saw the team reach fifth in the championship last year.

“We were in a situation in which the performance on track was very good, and in which the data we were getting correlated well to what we were expecting, so we knew we could continue to develop a solid platform,” said technical Director Andrew green.

Force India aimed to conserve their efforts with the change in regulations expected to come in ahead of the 2017 season, meaning the Car will be more of an update than a fresh start. The team have spent the winter break updating the car, and have high expectations for 2016.

“I want us to begin 2016 the same way that we ended 2015,” said Team Principal, Vijay Mallya. “Our technical team is excited about the progress we have made over the winter and there’s every reason to believe we can stay at the front of the midfield battle.”

Major aero updates are expected on the car ahead of the Melbourne Grand Prix, and the team plans to have taken another step ahead of the European leg of the season.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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