Australia GP - preview quotes - ForceIndia

Nico Hulkenberg
"The first race of the season is always a special occasion: a race you really look forward to for a long time. You have a new car to push to the limit in race conditions for the first time, you are often working with new people in the team and it's the first occasion to spend a race weekend with them: there is always a lot to keep you excited in addition to the regular weekend activities. As a driver, the first race is very interesting - we are as curious as anybody to see where everyone really is compared to the others.

"I haven't been very lucky in Melbourne in the past, but I have very good memories from last year's race. We finished sixth in our first race with the VJM07 - and considering that I had never managed to finish more than one lap in Australia until then, that was a quite welcome development! It was a very good race and I hope we can have another one this year."

Sergio Perez
"The Australian Grand Prix is one of my favourite races because it's one of those events in which everything comes together: the excitement of a new season, a great track and a fantastic city.

"Albert Park is a special circuit and it's great to get back to action on such a challenging track. Even though it is classified as a street circuit, it doesn't really feel like one - there are only a few corners in which you get close to the walls. Driving on it, it feels like a permanent track, although if you make a mistake you realise pretty quickly how close the walls really are!

"There are many difficult corners and it is not easy to get a perfect lap here: turn one, in particular, is very technical and difficult also because you can't really see the apex. It is a great feeling to get that corner right. In terms of set-up, you are mostly looking for front end grip and it is not easy to find the right balance for the car.

"Melbourne is the place where I had my first Formula One race. That's a great memory that will stay with me forever. It's my best memory from Melbourne so far, but I hope to refresh it with some new memories soon!"

Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
"It's great to get back to the racing. Melbourne in March is the perfect place to begin the season and one of my favourite cities. It's also where the Force India story began eight years ago when we lined up on the starting grid of Albert Park for the very first time. Eight years and 131 races later, I feel very proud of the journey we've taken to establish our position in Formula One.

"We started our 2015 season in Mexico City six weeks ago when we launched our stunning new livery. I always thought the new colours would appeal to fans and I was very happy to see the VJM08 topping some polls on social media as the best looking car. The fans have spoken and they clearly have good taste!

"It's no secret that we have faced some delays and challenges over the winter, but we've put that behind us and can now focus on the racing. When the VJM08 appeared in Barcelona it ran reliably from the very first moment and didn't miss a beat during its 365 laps. To deliver such a solid performance out of the box was a fantastic achievement from everyone in the team and will stand us in good stead for the first race.

"As for our hopes in Melbourne, it's difficult to make a prediction. In terms of mileage we are clearly behind the other teams so there is some ground to make up. Equally, the performance work we could do in Barcelona was quite limited. Until we run in qualifying trim and race conditions it's hard to know where we are in terms of competitiveness. What I do know is that we will give it our best shot to come away with a result."

F1.com 
 

Sahara Force India welcomes Brandon as official clothing partner

The multi-year agreement will see Brandon kit out all Sahara Force India’s trackside and factory-based personnel with a range of custom-made clothing, with special emphasis on designs that are both functional and stylish.

Brandon will also use its position as a global leader in the design, development and distribution of licensed and corporate merchandise to provide fans with a wide range of replica clothing items.

Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer of Sahara Force India: “It’s great to team up with Brandon and everyone at Sahara Force India is excited about the kit they are producing for us this year. The trackside clothing needs to be robust enough to cope with the demanding work carried out by our mechanics, but it’s also important to look smart and presentable because the clothes we wear say a great deal about our values. By working with Brandon I’m sure we will be one of the best dressed teams in the pit lane.”

Paul Preuveneers, Chief Executive Officer for Brandon: “We are really excited to work with Sahara Force India going forward. The team achieved some strong results in 2014 and I’m sure there are more great things to come in 2015. Brandon has a strong heritage in motorsport and we are constantly working to develop innovative products for trackside teamwear as well as merchandise for fans. We’re proud to work with the Sahara Force India team and look forward to building this relationship together.”

About Brandon
Brandon, established since 1987, produces and distributes licensed and corporate merchandise throughout the world. Being particularly strong in the Motorsport sector by maximizing opportunities within the mono-branded fanwear and teamwear arena, Brandon’s successes are evident within global retail channels, trackside retail stands and via team affiliates. Being a wholly owned division of PUMA, Brandon leverage their vast global network of sourcing and distribution channels to deliver a 360 supply model to some of the highest profile brands within F1 and Football.

Forceindiaf1.com 
 

Sahara Force India works with Adaptavist to fine-tune its IT systems

The relationship will give Sahara Force India access to the world’s most technically-advanced Atlassian partner. Working with Adaptavist will enhance the team’s ability to find, share and collaborate on information. The team will also benefit from Adaptavist’s experience and knowledge of issue tracking, code management and the optimisation of the application lifecycle - an important toolset required to continually produce car components race after race. Adaptavist are world-renowned for their Atlassian performance tuning expertise, helping clients get the most from Atlassian software.
Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer of Sahara Force India: “Working with Adaptavist will ensure we get the most from our internal IT resources. The efficient sharing of information is essential for the success of any organisation and with the help of Adaptavist we can extract more power from the software we have in place.”
Simon Haighton-Williams, CEO of Adaptavist: “We’re really excited to be supporting Sahara Force India and to be involved in Formula One, which is perhaps the most intense of all sporting environments. The process of designing, manufacturing and operating a prototype racing car is a huge challenge, especially when managing the unique lifecycle of car components. It’s in this area that our solutions can play a part in providing reliable software to further enhance the team’s operational efficiency.”
About Adaptavist
Established in 2005, Adaptavist is an IT services company with operations in the USA, Germany and the UK with clients in more than 60 countries. It provides premium professional services, support, hosting and products to a range of Enterprise clients including over half of the Fortune 500.

Adaptavist is an Atlassian Platinum Partner, Atlassian Enterprise Expert and an Atlassian Authorised Training Expert. The company has been working with Atlassian software since 2005 and is officially recognised as Atlassian’s most Technically Excellent Expert Partner, receiving the award from Atlassian President Jay Simon.

Forceindiaf1.com 
 

Sahara Force India welcomes Skullcandy to Formula One

 

The multi-year deal will see Skullcandy supply the team with headphones for use during the season, while the Skullcandy logo will be visible on the rear element of the side pod and on all garage headsets. From a product development standpoint, getting exposure to how Sahara Force India works on extremely compressed schedules with high performance parts also represents a unique opportunity for Skullcandy. Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer of Sahara Force India: “Skullcandy is a fun, exciting brand and it’s a real pleasure to begin working with them. Their desire to develop products that combine style and performance makes Formula One the perfect environment to showcase their brand. With a distinctive combination of colour and character, as well as outstanding audio quality, the Skullcandy range will appeal to all our supporters, especially the younger generation.” Sam Paschel, Chief Commercial Officer of Skullcandy: “We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with Sahara Force India, which allows us to align with one of the most thrilling and exciting sports in the world. The dedication and focus that it takes to compete and excel in F1 demonstrates many of our core values and is a natural fit with the Skullcandy brand and our commitment to make products that help people live and perform at their full potential. On the product side, working with Sahara Force India is inspiring because the team is constantly operating in a highly competitive industry with great emphasis on innovation and efficiency. Being involved in this environment will feed our own learning as we engineer and develop a wider range of products and continue to innovate in the audio space.” About Skullcandy, Inc.
Skullcandy is a global designer, marketer and distributor of performance audio and gaming headphones and other accessory related products under the Skullcandy, Astro Gaming and 2XL by Skullcandy brands. Skullcandy became one of the world's most distinct audio brands by bringing color, character and performance to an otherwise monochromatic space; helping to revolutionize the audio arena by introducing headphones, earbuds and other audio and wireless lifestyle products that possess unmistakable style and exceptional performance. The Company’s products are sold and distributed through a variety of channels in the U.S. and approximately 80 countries worldwide. Visit skullcandy.com, or join us at facebook.com/skullcandy or on Twitter @skullcandy.

Forceindiaf1.com

Barcelona Test Report, 1 March 2015

Sergio Perez #11
Chassis: VJM08-01
Laps: 130 laps
Mileage: 605km
Fastest lap: 1:25.113
Classification: P6 of 9
Sergio Perez: “My first day in the car has been a good one, with a very high number of laps and a good atmosphere in the team. It's no secret that we have some catch-up to do but I am optimistic: the team has a clear direction to work towards and we have been able to collect a large amount of data in such a short time, which will help all those working back at base. Every run we do, here or at the races, teaches us a lot and moves us closer to where we want to be. Now we must focus on Melbourne: I am really excited about going racing again, the first race of the season is always a special one and one to which you really look forward since the end of the previous season."
Tom McCullough, Chief Race Engineer
"Our pre-season testing comes to an end with a solid 130 laps. Today was Sergio's first day in the VJM08 and, as he got accustomed to the new car, we continued our work of understanding its behaviour, trying various setups in both performance and long runs. All we have done in these tests in Barcelona will help us prepare for Melbourne, and even though we may arrive with less mileage than others, we have gathered lots of valuable data. We are making rapid progress with the car and we have a lot of material to analyse back at the factory ahead of the first flyaways. This last week's work highlights the spirit of this team: credit must go to everyone involved with the design, manufacturing and assembly of the car. It has been a massive effort from everyone in the team and to get so many laps is testament to the great work done by all."

Forceindiaf1.com 
 

Barcelona Test Report, 28 February 2015

Nico Hülkenberg #27
Chassis: VJM08-01
Laps: 158 laps
Mileage: 735km
Fastest lap: 1:24.939
Classification: P7 of 9
Nico Hülkenberg: “It was a very positive day in terms of reliability and getting a lot of mileage under our belts. It was our first full day of testing so our main focus remained on getting to know the car, the way we set it up and its characteristics. I think we made some good progress in this regard and we managed to get a decent understanding of how the VJM08 feels under different conditions. That's definitely a positive, although it remains very hard to judge where everyone is in terms of performance. Next time I will step in the car will be in Melbourne: I am very excited to fly to Australia as that's when you get the racing feeling again. I am really looking forward to getting going and being back in a competition; that is something I relish. Hopefully the work we did in the last few weeks will pay off and we will be in a position for fight for a good result."
Tom McCullough, Chief Race Engineer
"It was another solid day of testing with the VJM08, which is proving to be a very reliable car so far: the plan we had set for ourselves today was very ambitious but we managed to achieve all its main points. We have taken another big step in our process of understanding the performance of the car and we were able to work through both performance runs and longer stints. Track temperatures were not ideal as they were very much on the cool side, but we still learnt a lot and gathered a significant amount of data to analyse tonight. It was Nico's last day in the car before heading off to Melbourne: the work he completed today will help us ensure we make the most of our final day in the car tomorrow as Sergio steps in the cockpit for the first time."

Forceindiaf1.com 
 

Barcelona Test Report, 27 February 2015

Nico Hülkenberg #27
Chassis: VJM08-01
Laps: 77 laps
Mileage: 358km
Fastest lap: 1:28.412
Classification: P9 of 9
Nico Hülkenberg: “It was a very good day, at least in terms of the running we managed to do. We were able to run reliably straight out of the box and that is very encouraging. The boys and girls at the factory and here at the track have been pushing really hard in the last couple of weeks and to do 77 laps in little more than one afternoon is a remarkable job by the team. Obviously we still have a big task ahead of us and we are playing catch-up in certain aspects, but I am quite satisfied so far. The car feels pretty good, although making a direct comparison with our 2014 car is not easy as the conditions in winter testing are always very particular. One of our team's strengths is to learn about the car quickly, so we will need to get as much data as possible to get in a good position for Melbourne. Tomorrow we will be looking at doing more long runs, working with the various tyre compounds and putting more mileage on the car."

Tom McCullough, Chief Race Engineer
"It has been a real big effort from all the staff back at the factory to get the car ready and out here for this test. Managing to run our installation laps before the lunch break was very useful and helped us achieve a solid first day with the VJM08. These are the very early stages of the VJM08's running and it is encouraging to get 77 laps on the board: we could have got even more mileage hadn't it been for the red flags at the end of the day. Today was all about achieving a first understanding of the new car and to run this long allowed us to collect a sizeable amount of very valuable data. We will go through it tonight and it will help us prepare for what is hopefully going to be another productive day tomorrow."

Forceindiaf1.com