Force India targets Mugello improvement

Force India's deputy team principal Robert Fernley says the team is targeting the mid-season test at Mugello for a major upgrade that it hopes will move it to the front of the midfield.

The team is aiming to break in to the top five of the constructors' championship this season having achieved its best result of sixth place last year. Fernley, however, admitted that chasing that result had left Force India a little bit behind with the development of its new car, but is looking to the Mugello test after the Bahrain Grand Prix to get back on track.

"I am hoping that Mugello puts us where we would have liked to have been for the start of the season," Fernley told Autosport. "We are a little bit behind because our focus was trying to secure sixth last season and we are about four or five races behind schedule.

"The plan is to come out of the first four races and not be too far away. Then we can bring the performance in through the season, so we are pretty much on target. We just need to get through China and Bahrain and then see where we go."

So far Paul di Resta has scored points in both races this season, while Nico Hulkenberg also picked up two points at Sepang. Fernley praised their performances and said it was now down to the team to supply the drivers with better equipment.

"We haven't given either driver the best of cars, yet. They are showing their mettle to get us through and what we need to do is respond and give them the car that can challenge from Mugello onwards."

Source: En.espnf1.com

Di Resta Q&A

Paul Di Resta scored a superb seventh place in Malaysia with Nico Hulkenberg just behind in ninth, delivering a double points finish for Sahara Force India. We asked Paul for his thoughts on the day.

Paul, you had an amazing drive to seventh on a very difficult day. How would you sum up the race?

The conditions were really poor at the start of the race and it was the right decision to put out the red flag. Unfortunately Maldonado ran into me just before the safety car, and I lost three places, but after the restart I had good pace on the intermediates. We probably got onto slicks a lap later than we could have, but given the position we were in it was the safest thing to do. To come away with seventh and ninth is a result everybody can be extremely satisfied with.

At what stage in the race did you feel that your package was at its strongest?

Probably on the intermediates. At some points we were nearly as quick as Red Bull; we were nearly the quickest car on the track. But as people grew in confidence things changed and others became stronger.

Did you have fun battling with people?

You always do and there were lots of good battles all day, so it was a fairly hard task. But we managed to keep ourselves out of trouble.

We’ve seen two races where you’ve worked your way up and got the best result you could on the day – is that satisfying?

That’s what it’s all about and I think that’s where experience for me as a second year driver is coming in. Today we plugged away and the boys on the pit wall did a good job. With the support we’ve got back in the factory, I think you’re seeing the strengths of our team at the moment and how it has grown. We just need to get a bit more downforce and a bit more performance, and hopefully we’ll achieve some results from that.

Finally any thoughts on the next race in China?

Last year our car was reasonably competitive there and hopefully that philosophy carries over. We’ll just do our best, and whether that’s enough, we will see. But I do think the temperature is going to be slightly different!

Source: Forceindiaf1.com

Race - Force India driver quotes

Paul di Resta (7th)
“The start of the race was a bit of a mess and it was all about trying to stay on the track and stay out of trouble. I did pretty well until Maldonado hit me just before the red flag, which spun me around and cost me about three places. At the restart our pace was very good on the intermediate tyres and we were able to get well up the order and stay with the leading group. As it dried out we switched to dry tyres at the same time everyone else did, which was the safe way to play it, and just tried to hold position in the points. We were a bit lucky with some of the issues for cars ahead, but in races like this you need a bit of luck and given where we started I think we can come away from here very happy with this result.”

Nico Hulkenberg (9th)
“I think today’s performance with two cars in the points is a great team result and I’m very happy to pick up my first points of the season. It was quite a complicated race and the rain certainly helped mix things up, but we made the most of our chances and made good calls on the strategy. I have to say that the wet conditions today were some of the worst I’ve raced in and the visibility was almost zero before the race was stopped. It was much better when the race restarted, but I struggled with the balance of the car on the intermediates, so it was just a case of trying to stay in the points and catch Vergne ahead.”

Robert Fernley, Force India deputy team principal
“Today’s result is thanks to a tremendous team effort with everybody rising to the challenges presented by the tricky conditions. It was an especially busy race on the pit wall, but on the whole I think we made the right calls, especially the timing of our switch to the dry tyres, and both drivers delivered very strong performances. It was important to pick up points on a day like this and given where we started we have to be happy with eight points. The race was not without drama, though, and Paul was lucky to emerge unscathed from the contact with Maldonado, which occurred in the very wet conditions. Both Paul and Nico came on the radio to say how poor the conditions were, and it’s to their credit that they managed to stay largely out of trouble. We now head to China determined to carry on this momentum and hopefully add some more points to our tally.”


Source: Formula1.com

Qualifying - Forceindia driver quotes

Paul di Resta (14th, Q2 - 1m 37.877s)
“We definitely improved the car between final practice and qualifying, but it was a tough session and it got quite a bit warmer during the two hours between qualifying and practice. My laps in Q2 were good and I got sectors one and two right, but I maybe lost out in the final sector, which I never really maximised. I think P14 is a reasonable place to start and hopefully our race pace and tyre management will pay off tomorrow. The other variable is the weather because there is always a high risk of showers late in the afternoon.”

Nico Hulkenberg (16th, Q2 - 1m 37.890s)
“You only have to look at the times to see how close things were today. Half a tenth would have given me two or three places, while finding a tenth would have put me twelfth on the grid. To be honest, though, I don’t think there was any more to come because I pretty much got the maximum from the car. Now it’s all about racing well and using the strategy to try and come away with a result. Having already missed most of the race last weekend in Melbourne, it almost feels like the first race of my season, so hopefully I can go the distance and have a strong performance. Tyre degradation will be a key factor in the race and the chance of rain could also mix things up.”

Robert Fernley, Force India deputy team principal
“Overall we can’t be too disappointed with our qualifying showing today. Yes, we would have liked to have been a little higher up, but looking over the timesheets shows just how closely matched the grid is. In fact, just three tenths cover the cars from ninth to 16th and with such margins the slightest error can cost you three or four positions. Both Paul and Nico delivered consistent laps, although it’s fair to say they were both marginally compromised by the release of the Mercedes cars in Q2. However, I remain optimistic for tomorrow and believe we’re in good shape, and that our race pace will allow us to get up there challenging for points.”

Source: formula1.com

Friday practice - ForceIndia driver quotes

Nico Hulkenberg, P1 - 1:39.440, 10th; P2 - 1:39.464, 12th
“There’s not a massive amount to say about today because it was a normal Friday where we focussed on getting on top of the tyres and trying to get the car in good shape for tomorrow. I think we learned quite a lot and the car feels totally different compared to Melbourne because of the track characteristics and the hotter conditions. The set-up work we did is promising for tomorrow and the long runs have given us lots of useful data, which was something we missed out on doing in Melbourne.”

Paul di Resta, P1 - 1:39.298, 8th; P2 - 1:39.625, 13th
“A very hot day in the car, but we got through most of the programme and have enough information going into tomorrow. There was an issue with one of the brake discs in the afternoon session, which probably looked more dramatic from outside the car, so the team made some changes before I started my long runs on the medium tyre. It’s always difficult to read too much performance-wise from a Friday, but I would expect the midfield to be very competitive once again this weekend.”

Jakob Andreasen, Force India chief engineer
“As always on a Friday, the main priority was to try and get a good understanding of the tyres, which we managed to do with both the medium and hard compound. The driver feedback is encouraging and we demonstrated some good pace over the long runs this afternoon. Other items on the job list included the usual checks to our cooling solutions, especially the engine, as well as some aero comparisons this morning. The only small issue was the braking problem for Paul in the second session, which cost us some track time as we made changes to the brake material; but we understand what happened and will revert to a known solution for the rest of the weekend.”

Source: Formula1.com

Malaysia preview quotes - Force India

Paul di Resta, Force India
2011 Qualifying - 14th, 2011 Race - 10th
“I left Melbourne on Sunday night because it was important to get to Malaysia and start acclimatising as soon as possible. Sepang will be a tough fitness test and I’ll see how well the work over the winter has prepared me. I definitely feel in good shape at the moment. It’s up there alongside Singapore as one of the toughest races of the year, simply because of the heat and humidity. While you are driving it’s not too bad because you get some air flow through the car, but you really feel the heat when you’re sitting in the car in the garage with the heat soak from the engine and the tyres. That’s when you’re most uncomfortable in the cockpit.”

Nico Hulkenberg, Force India
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
“I’m glad that we have back-to-back races because I just want to get back in the car. Seeing how the race developed it was frustrating not to be out there fighting for points, but it wasn’t meant to be. I’m now fully focussed on Malaysia because there’s no point thinking about what might have been. The lap has a nice variation of high and low speed corners and there are two long straights. So you have to find the right balance between top speed and having enough downforce for the corners. The high temperatures and the track surface also result in quite high tyre degradation so it’s important to find a race set-up that is quite easy on the tyres.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
“It’s difficult to judge much from the first race, but we have learned a lot from Melbourne and we will try and improve our race pace consistency this weekend in Malaysia. What is clear is that all the teams around us are very closely matched in terms of absolute pace and even the smallest mistake in qualifying or the race can cost you several positions. It will be very competitive in the midfield, just as we predicted during the pre-season. Sepang this weekend should be another good indicator of where we stand in the pecking order. I’m optimistic that it will suit the characteristics of the VJM05 more than Melbourne and that we can remain in the hunt for points.”


Source: F1.com

Force India hoping for better show in Sepang

After having garnered just a point from the season opener Australian Grand Prix, Sahara Force India team is eyeing a better performance in the second race of the 2012 Formula One season in Sepang, Malaysia on Sunday.

Paul Di Resta, who managed to pick up a point for Force India by finishing in the 10th spot in Melbourne, said the upcoming Malaysian GP would be an interesting one as it is considered as one of the toughest races of the year.

"Sepang will be a tough fitness test and I'll see how well the work over the winter has prepared me," he said

"It's up there alongside Singapore as one of the toughest races of the year, simply because of the heat and humidity.

"While you are driving it's not too bad because you get some air flow through the car, but you really feel the heat when you're sitting in the car in the garage with the heat soak from the engine and the tyres. That's when you're most uncomfortable in the cockpit," Di Resta added.

Team principal Vijay Mallya also admitted that tough task awaits the team this weekend in Sepang but said the race would give Force India a chance to judge where it stands.

"What is clear is that all the teams around us are very closely matched in terms of absolute pace and even the smallest mistake in qualifying or the race can cost you several positions. It will be very competitive in the midfield, just as we predicted during the pre-season," Mallya said.

"Sepang this weekend should be another good indicator of where we stand in the pecking order. I'm optimistic that it will suit the characteristics of the VJM05 more than Melbourne and that we can remain in the hunt for points," the liquor baron added.

Di Rest'a co-driver, Nico Hulkenberg, meanwhile, is looking to put the disappointment of Melbourne behind him and bounce back in Sepang.

"I'm glad that we have back-to-back races because I just want to get back in the car. Seeing how the race developed it was frustrating not to be out there fighting for points, but it wasn't meant to be. I'm now fully focussed on Malaysia because there's no point thinking about what might have been," he said.

Hulkenberg was hit from the back in the opening lap, which damaged his suspension and led to his early retirement in Melbourne last week.

Stating that the Sepang circuit has nice variation of high and low speed corners, Hulkenberg said, "There are two long straights. So you have to find the right balance between top speed and having enough downforce for the corners.

"The high temperatures and the track surface also result in quite high tyre degradation so it's important to find a race set-up that is quite easy on the tyres."

Source: TimesofIndia

Race - ForceIndia driver quotes

Paul di Resta (10th)
“It’s always nice to start the season with a point, but it was not looking too promising until the last few laps when my engineer told me that I was catching the cars ahead of me. Fortunately I had saved quite a bit of KERS for the last corner, which helped me get a good run on Vergne and beat him to the line for tenth. So it was a pretty exciting final lap. It’s a good way to start the season, but it’s clear we have a lot of work to do because we were struggling for pace at the start of each stint, which hurt my overall race pace. Even so, considering where I started and the weekend we’ve had, I don’t think I can be disappointed to have come away with a point.”

Nico Hulkenberg (DNF)
“I don’t seem to have much luck at Albert Park. My first race here in 2010 was less than a lap and today was a repeat of that. I’m still not really sure what happened, but I got hit when I turned into the first corner on lap one. It’s such a shame because I had made a great start, moved up a couple of positions and then I just felt somebody tap me from behind. There was a puncture and the suspension was damaged so my race was over and I had to park up. These things happen when 22 cars are battling going into a tight first corner, but it’s really frustrating to miss out after such a good qualifying session. The good thing is that I will be back in the car in five days’ time, which is the best way to bounce back and get over the disappointment.”

Robert Fernley, Force India deputy team principal
“We always felt that today’s race was likely to be full of drama and it didn’t disappoint – particularly the closing lap of the race when Paul did an excellent job to grab the final point in the dash to the line. He drove a very clean race, stayed out of trouble and made the most of the strategy, but ultimately he struggled for absolute pace over the duration of the stints, which is something we need to address. As for Nico, he was simply the innocent victim of the turn one chaos. He got hit quite hard from behind going into turn one, which caused some serious damage to the left rear suspension and he immediately came on the radio to say that he needed to park the car. We have to take this on the chin because it’s part of racing, but it’s disappointing for Nico who needs all the race miles he can get at the moment. Still, he’s shown what he is capable of and he can be proud of the job he has done this weekend.”

Source: F1.com

Qualifying - ForceIndia driver quotes

Nico Hulkenberg (9th, Q3 - 1m 26.451s)
“I’m very happy with today’s result because I was not sure we would be able to make Q3. We did a good job after FP3 to improve the set-up and I’m feeling much more comfortable with the car now. Obviously going into the race there is some uncertainty because we haven’t really done many runs on high fuel here because of the wet sessions yesterday, but all the teams are in the same situation. It’s the same case with the tyres because we will still be learning about them tomorrow and discovering how long they last. It should be an exciting race and I’m looking forward to it.”

Paul di Resta (15th, Q2 - 1m 27.086s)
“It was quite a difficult session and I never quite got it together. I think my out lap was compromised by traffic and, as a result, I didn’t get the tyres in their working range, which hurt my quick lap. So there’s a lot of work to be done tomorrow and I need to work hard tonight to see if there’s anything that can be done overnight to improve things for tomorrow. Over the winter our long run pace has looked quite strong so hopefully I can move forward in the race and challenge for some points.”

Robert Fernley, Force India deputy team principal
“I think we can come away feeling pretty satisfied with today’s performance. Nico has done an outstanding job all weekend and managed to squeeze the maximum from the car in Q2 and Q3. There are some quick cars behind, but I’m confident that we can have a strong race from there and remain in the hunt for points. As for Paul, he’s in the thick of the midfield battle and will need to fight hard to move forward in the race. He didn’t have the best run in Q2 due to some tyre issues, which compromised his only timed lap at the end of the session. We know he’s a fighter and hopefully he can make some progress in the race.

Source: Formula1.com

Friday practice - ForceIndia driver quotes

Nico Hulkenberg, P1 - 1:29.865, 12th; P2 - 1:29.292, 2nd
“Both FP1 and FP2 had mixed conditions, especially FP2 with the heavy rain, which arrived just before the start of the session. But we made the best of it and I ran on the full wets, the intermediates and the soft tyres when the track had dried out. It’s difficult to read much from the times because not everyone ran the soft tyres and there were lots of different fuel loads, but the main thing for me is that I have a good feeling with the car already.”

Paul di Resta, P1 - 1:29.881, 13th; P2 - 1:31.466, 6th
“Difficult to say too much about the first or second session because the conditions were so inconsistent with the rain showers. Even so, we made the best of it and focussed on assessing the aero package we have here and managed to learn a few things. We also made some set-up changes between the two sessions and the car felt better in the evening, so that was positive. The difficult thing is that we didn’t really get an impression of where everybody is in terms of performance, so there are still lots of unknowns going into tomorrow.”

Jakob Andreasen, Force India chief engineer
“On days like this you just have to be patient and wait for the right opportunities, but it’s better to play the waiting game than run when the conditions are not ideal. Overall I think we were on track at the right times and on the right tyres, and it’s always worth going out even if there’s just a small thing you can learn. When we were on track we did some work evaluating our aero package and got some useful data. The most important thing is that we made the most of the dry periods to get the drivers into the rhythm of the track.”


Source: F1.com

Schumacher pips Hulkenberg in FP2

Michael Schumacher set the fastest time of a wet/dry second practice for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Schumacher set a best time of 1:29.183 with the very last lap of the session to pip Nico Hulkenberg's Force India as Mercedes showed some of the pace that is gained from the legal F-Duct system it has pioneered. The drying track meant times were tumbling throughout the final 15 minutes as drivers went out on slick tyres and exploited the improving track conditions.

Sergio Perez was third in the Sauber, a full second slower than Schumacher and 0.1s ahead of Fernando Alonso, with Ferrari the first to go out on intermediate tyres in the middle of the session. A torrential downpour about an hour before FP2 left the track soaking wet with a lot of standing water, and only a few tentative laps from both Saubers and Toro Rossos were possible in the opening 20 minutes.

After some intermediate lap times, there was a break while all the teams waited for the track to dry out a little more before the hectic ending to the session as many ventured out on slicks. Kamui Kobayashi set the fifth fastest time with a 1:30.709 as Sauber looked strong, despite running wide at the final corner at the end of the session and fishtailing before half spinning on the main straight.

Sixth quickest was Paul di Resta, underlining the Force India pace though he was over two seconds slower than Schumacher. Felipe Massa was seventh after recovering from his spin in FP1 to cover 14 laps.

Heikki Kovalainen was an encouraging eighth for Caterham, ahead of Nico Rosberg, the Red Bull pair of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber and an impressive 12th for Timo Glock as he searched for track time and setup options in the Marussia.

Morning pace-setter Jenson Button was only 15th quickest in the McLaren, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton one place behind him after Hamilton remained in the garage for most of the session. Following a similar approach was Kimi Raikkonen, who only completed 7 laps late in the day.

Pedro de la Rosa made it out on track after his car wasn't ready in time for FP1, but he only completed one installation lap before a hydraulic problem confined him to the pits for the rest of the session, while Narain Karthikeyan also stopped out on track after the chequered flag with a similar issue.

Source: en.espnf1.com

Force India call in Paffett as reserve

Force India has confirmed that Gary Paffett will be its reserve driver at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.

The team's current reserve driver Jules Bianchi is unavailable due to World Series by Renault commitments at Paul Ricard in France, so McLaren has allowed its test driver to be available for Force India. Paffett - who is also backed by Force India's engine supplier Mercedes in DTM - will only be called upon if either Paul di Resta or Nico Hulkenberg is unable to race.

Paffett said he hoped his services wouldn't be required, but was pleased that Force India has entrusted him with the role.

"I'm happy to be available for Sahara Force India for this weekend," Paffett said. "Of course, it's unlikely that I will be called up and hopefully it won't happen, but it's nice to know that the team thought of me. I'd also like to thank McLaren and Mercedes for making me available should the need arise."

Paffett will not drive on Friday, with di Resta and Hulkenberg both appearing in all sessions this weekend.

Source: En.espnf1.com

Australia preview quotes - Force India

Paul di Resta, Force India
2011 Qualifying - 14th, 2011 Race - 10th
“The build-up to Melbourne has been a while coming, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like there’s been that much testing. In fact, compared to last year, there has been one less test, but it’s been a good winter for us in general. It’s a great place to start the season and the fans always get behind the race, so it will be interesting to see how it feels second time around. After a good winter break I’m just looking forward to getting back to the racing. I enjoy the circuit. There’s a good balance between high and low speed, plus it’s a mixture between a street circuit and a permanent track, and that makes it quite unusual. I think the final sector stands out for me as the most interesting because it’s quite tricky and easy to get it wrong. We were strong on street circuits last year, especially Singapore, so hopefully that will continue. All the teams around us look strong and have been consistent in testing, so we just have to wait and see. Also, I think almost every team will have some new parts on their cars so it really is too early to make any judgements. To begin with our goal is simply to try and pick up points at every race.”

Nico Hulkenberg, Force India
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
“There’s a lot of excitement - that’s the word I keep using to describe how I’m feeling. And I think it will continue until the Sunday morning in Melbourne when I wake up knowing I will be racing again in a few hours. That’s when you feel the buzz and get the feeling of anticipation in your stomach. The testing has gone pretty well and it’s been crucial for helping me get prepared. But I know testing is very different to racing because you don’t have the same pressures of a race weekend. I think the true test will be qualifying when you have to deliver right away and you only get one chance. My first race in Australia in 2010 was cut short - only half a lap, but apart from that I have good memories from Melbourne and Australia in general. It’s one of those venues with a special atmosphere and the whole city seems so relaxed and friendly. It’s definitely up there with races like Monaco and Singapore in terms of the atmosphere. It’s a race where we arrive very early to adapt to the time zone, so I will get a chance to look around the city, do some jogging, cycling and visit places like St Kilda beach. If there’s enough time I will try and explore the coast a bit.”

Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
“After the long winter months I think we are all looking forward to the start of the new season. Our testing form has looked competitive, but it’s only when we get to the first race that we really get a feel for the pecking order and how well everyone has done over the winter. From our side there is no doubt that Andrew Green and his technical team have done an outstanding job to deliver a well-balanced car. I would even go as far as saying the VJM05 is the best engineered car we have produced and the detail of the design is beautiful. It’s a car we believe can help us take another step forward. Driver-wise I’m extremely excited by our line-up this year. Nico and Paul are both young and hungry, and will ensure we squeeze every last thousandth from the car. There will be some healthy in-house rivalry, too, which will be fascinating to watch, and I believe that we will get better results in the long run by having two drivers pushing each other on. As for Melbourne, it’s a city I enjoy visiting immensely and the track has produced some good races over the years. It was in Melbourne that Force India made its debut back in 2008 and it’s a good opportunity to reflect on how far we have come in the last five years. As for expectations, I remain cautious on making predictions, simply because there are so many unknowns. Our analysis suggests that we could see one of the closest grids in years, especially in the upper part of the midfield. Even so, our stated goal remains the same - to see Sahara Force India continue progressing and challenge the established teams that lie ahead of us.” 


Source: Formula1.com

Mallya expects 'healthy rivalry' between Force India drivers

Force India boss Vijay Mallya is looking forward to a healthy rivalry developing between his two drivers this year.

Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg, who will start their first race as team-mates on Sunday, are both entering their second year as race drivers in Formula One, although Hulkenberg spent a year as a test driver last season. Mallya is expecting the Force India duo to get the most out of the new VJM05 and the most out of each other.

"Driver-wise I'm extremely excited by our line-up this year," he said. "Nico and Paul are both young and hungry, and will ensure we squeeze every last thousandth from the car. There will be some healthy in-house rivalry, too, which will be fascinating to watch, and I believe that we will get better results in the long run by having two drivers pushing each other on."

Mallya believes the new VJM05 is the best car his team has produced.

"From our side there is no doubt that Andrew Green and his technical team have done an outstanding job to deliver a well-balanced car," he said. "I would even go as far as saying the VJM05 is the best engineered car we have produced and the detail of the design is beautiful. It's a car we believe can help us take another step forward.

"As for expectations, I remain cautious on making predictions, simply because there are so many unknowns. Our analysis suggests that we could see one of the closest grids in years, especially in the upper part of the midfield. Even so, our stated goal remains the same - to see Sahara Force India continue progressing and challenge the established teams that lie ahead of us."

Source: en.espnf1.com

Sahara Force India drivers set for Melbourne test

MUMBAI: Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg are hoping to provide Sahara Force India a flying start in the 2012 F1 season-opening race at Melbourne next weekend and are pretty confident of improving as a team ahead of the longest ever (20-race) season. 

While di Resta of Italian origin would be racing for the Indian-owned franchise for the second year in running, Germany's Hulkenberg would be representing the team for the first time. 

The German is also staging a comeback in the glamorous arena of first-choice drivers after cooling his heels as a reserve/test driver last year for Sahara Force India. 

"Obviously it was in ups and downs. I think if I look back, it was a very positive for first season of F1. More results have been realistic when you are up against the best guys in the world. I have learnt from it," said di Resta, who would turn 26 next month, about his 2011 season. 

"This year I am a lot more confident and comfortable and focused to achieve, and that's what is going to drive me to another level. In Sahara Force India we have targets and ambitions and the focus is to improve as a team," said the Scot, who finished 13th overall with 27 races in his debut season, ahead of the new series of races. 

Hulkenberg, having got a chance to race again after his 14th-place finish (22 points) during his stint in 2010 with Williams, said since then he has got over the disappointment of not racing last year. 

"Of course I was disappointed to lose my race seat at the end of 2010. The reason is that the performance (finished with 22 points from 14 races for Williams) was there...It was not bad, especially with the competition in the end, but I am over it and looking forward to 2012," said the 24-year-old German, at a media interaction on Friday. 

"I was not happy with it because I won a race (pole position) and love what I am doing. I had quite a few points-scoring results. It's not nice to see standing on the sidelines and see others race. The wait has paid off and I am back," said Hulkenberg, who had lifted the GP2 in his debut season in 2009 to earn a driving spot for Williams. 

Di Resta felt that the Indian-owned team had exceeded expectations towards the end of last season but it would be a big challenge to keep it up, though with the arrival of Sahara, which has picked up 42.5 per cent stake in the F1 team, things were looking brighter. 

"As a team we punched way above our weight at the end of last year. Each year this team has moved up another notch and to maintain that would be an incredible challenge. I think everybody has the passion and determination at the moment given where we finished last year. I think the coming of the new investor in Sahara would lift this team to another level. 

"We are going to Melbourne as best prepared as we can with the tools we have. The target is to be among the points and finish where we left off last year. My focus is to just try and do the best possible job for Sahara Force India," the Scot driver added. 

Force India finished sixth in the 2011 Constructors' Championship. 

Di Resta also welcomed the news of a woman test driving in the upcoming season, but cautioned it would not be easy, as driving an F1 car was difficult even for men. 

"I suppose if she has got the talent, why not? It's quite a challenge because of the physical strengths required for F1 is difficult for a man. I definitely welcome it," he said referring to Maria de Villota, daughter of former Spanish F1 driver Emilio de Villota, set to test driver for Marussia's team in 2012.


Source: Timesofindia.com

Sahara Force India teams up with Hackett

Sahara Force India is pleased to announce that Hackett, the London-based fashion brand, has joined the team as an Official Supplier for 2012.

 

Part of Hackett’s association will involve supplying team members with travel kit to be worn while travelling to and from races. The latest Hackett designs will be issued to staff this week in preparation for next week’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

 

The relationship with Sahara Force India marks the continuation of Hackett’s ambitious plans to expand further into international markets, especially India, and capitalise on the global appeal of the sport.

 

Dr. Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director of Sahara Force India: “I’m delighted to welcome Hackett to the team and look forward to seeing our team members wearing their clothes this season. I have a great interest in fashion and believe the clothes we wear speak volumes about who we are and the values that are important to us. Formula One is therefore the perfect showcase for Hackett’s range and helps reinforce their strong tradition of style and quality.”

 

Vicente Castellano, Managing Director of Hackett: “Continuing with our motor racing tradition, it seemed a natural step to support our new and exciting business expansion into India by becoming a partner to the Sahara Force India Formula One team for 2012. We are looking forward to supporting the team as they continue their fight to work their way up the highly competitive Formula One grid.”

Source: forceindiaf1.com

 

About Hackett

Hackett London is an essential British brand that dresses men who appreciate both quality and style. Hackett takes its inspiration from the traditions of British dress and updates them for a collection that is wearable and timeless, in the words of Jeremy Hackett, "our clothes wear in not out". Hackett’s aim is to dress men for every occasion whether it is business, formal, country or sporting which is perfectly encapsulated under the strap-line Essential British Kit. For more information visit: www.hackett.com

Definite progress at Force India - di Resta

Paul di Resta is confident Force India is continuing to make progress with the performance of the new VJM05.

The team is aiming for fifth in the constructors' championship this year after a strong finish to last season. The new car impressed onlookers at the opening two tests and di Resta, who completed a shakedown of the second chassis on Thursday, is confident things are moving forward.

"Another busy day and we managed to tick off all the objectives once again," he said. "The final test is all about adding new parts to the car, seeing how they perform, and getting our set-up sorted for Melbourne.

"I think we have a good idea of where we need to be based on the performance of the car today and Nico will continue with that work tomorrow. As I said last week, we are definitely making progress in terms of performance and we're getting a good understanding for the new 2012 tyre constructions."

Chief engineer Jakob Andreasen said updates brought to this week's test were working well.

"As the first race in Melbourne approaches, there are more developments arriving at the track and our task this week is to evaluate as much as we can. The first of those were on the car today, so we carried out some aero passes and had some encouraging feedback from Paul."

Source: en.espnf1.com