Vijay Mallya Q&A

Force India have had a rather low-key start to 2015, scoring points in just two Grands Prix after a promising opening in Australia. However, team boss Vijay Mallya is confident that will all change with their forthcoming major upgrade package. We spoke exclusively to Mallya about their progress, about the planned F1 changes for 2017, and about the chances of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez retaining their drives...

 

Q: Vijay, you've taken a bit of a time-out from Formula One racing so far in 2015, attending only the Australian and Monaco Grands Prix. Have you lost your fondness for F1?
Vijay Mallya: Ha, no, definitely not! I was stuck with parliamentary duties and then there was the Indian Premier League of Cricket, but with both over for the time being here I am again where I belong. And F1 hasn't really changed since last season so don't read any loss of fondness into my absence. A number of midfield teams have improved in performance. Yes, Mercedes is still dominating, but they are getting pushed a bit by Ferrari which is good for the show.

I have to confess that our own performance started on a slow note this year, but that was mainly because of the rule changes for wind tunnel usage. We used to use two wind tunnels in the past: we did preliminary design in the old tunnel and then did a lot of correlation work at the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne. When we had to choose one wind tunnel we chose the more modern tunnel which is in Cologne and that meant shifting the entire aero department from England to Germany - and that took some time.

That is why we couldn't start the season with a bang as we'd have liked to, but the good news is that about midway through the season - certainly before Silverstone - we will come up with our real 2015 challenger and hope to be quite competitive. Checo (Perez) did really well last weekend in Monaco with our old car, so when the new package arrives between Austria and Silverstone I am pretty sure that we will see continuous points finishes at the subsequent races. 

Q: So you are following the good old tradition of finishing with a bang than rather starting with one?
VM: Everybody saw what happened with Williams last year: they started slowly and became a real force in the second half of the year. And it looks like they'll do it all over again this season. (laughs) True, for us there's still a long way to go, but I am quite optimistic.

Q: Are you embracing the changes that are planned for 2017?

VM: The way Formula One is run now - with the Strategy Group - teams are in fact running Formula One. They discuss anything from technical regulations to revenue distribution, etcetera, and that's it. This is one of the few sports where the teams have such a big say in its running. In all other sports you have a promoter - which is FOM - and you have a regulator - which is the FIA. Between them they decide the set of rules and tell all participants: here you are - these are the rules. You've got to comply with them and get on with the championship.
F1 is overly democratic. There are teams in the Strategy Group that are extremely inflexible - they only want to protect their own position. So we have to live with what the Strategy Group decides, which effectively means that we all have to live with what the big teams decide. We have our views and we clearly express them, but we are steamrollered by the big four and that is the rule-making process.

Q: So what would an ideal F1 world look like from your perspective?
VM: First, focus on the entertainment and the growth of the sport. You want more fans, more spectators, and more viewers. That would make the revenue increase. Secondly, make it sustainable for all teams so that big and small can comfortably survive and compete. It is also unfortunate that we are losing some venues - Germany is gone this year. We have top German drivers competing and that makes it even more difficult to understand why Germany has no race. 

There is always talk of cost savings, but then we hear of some drivers receiving huge pay cheques. How does that work?
VM: The driver payments have never been part of any mutual discussion - and certainly not part of Strategy Group discussions. Every team has always treated driver payments and marketing costs completely outside of the rule making. Whatever cost saving measures have been discussed relate to costs of development and putting a car on the grid. But in the end who can say that a driver who asks for £100 million is so much better than a driver who only gets £5 million? I can't see the logic in that - but it's outside my remit to comment! (laughs) 

Q: So what about your two drivers? If you are not offering them big money, how about a job guarantee for 2016?
VM: I have always said that I am delighted to have Nico and Checo as my drivers. They are both highly talented and competent drivers. I am proud that Force India always has great talent in our driver line-up. Just remember that Nico scored points in nearly every race last year and Checo was on the podium in Bahrain. Were it not for our handicapped start to 2015 I guess we would have seen more of that this season. The chances that I will keep them are absolutely very high. I make no bones about it: I like these two guys. I respect them a lot. So there is no reason for me to make a change.

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MonacoGP - Race - Force India Drivers quotes

Sergio Perez, 7th
“I’m very happy right now. As a team we’ve done a fantastic job all weekend and seventh place is the result of all this hard work. For me it was a normal race - very straightforward and quiet, which is strange for Monaco. I was racing on my own for most of the race because the cars ahead were able to pull a gap on me and I had space to the cars behind. It was difficult to keep concentration for 78 laps, but after the safety car I was on fresh supersoft tyres and it was really good fun. I was able to attack Kimi [Raikkonen], but there wasn’t an opportunity to get the position. It’s a very important result for the whole team and gives us six points for the championship. It means I’ve scored points in half the races this season, which shows we’ve done a good job of maximising our opportunities.”

Nico Hulkenberg, 11th
“My race was obviously very difficult right from the start: Fernando [Alonso] more or less pushed me into the wall on the first lap and from that moment I basically had to play catch up. I knew he was there so I left him a bit more space and turned in later, but he must have locked up as he crashed into me and sent me straight into the wall. The only damage was to the front wing, but getting back to the pits and changing the wing cost me a lot of time. My race was already compromised then - it is not easy to race from so far back because you have to let the leaders through and you're on the back foot the whole time. In terms of pace I was doing quite well, especially when in clean air, but obviously getting lapped costs you a lot of time. It is a shame as I feel that without the incident I would have been well into the points today. I still take encouragement from our pace and hopefully we can maximise the next weekend in Canada and get some more points.”

Vijay Mallya, Team Principal & Managing Director
“Monaco always gives us an opportunity to shine and seventh place for Sergio is a fantastic result for the team. We did most of the hard work yesterday in qualifying and Sergio delivered a faultless performance this afternoon. He should be very proud of scoring his first points in Monaco. I feel very disappointed for Nico who was unlucky to be hit by Fernando. He had similar pace to Sergio and would surely have scored good points as well. With six points we have moved up to sixth in the championship. The team is doing a tremendous job and the result today helps keep the pressure on the teams around us.”

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MonacoGP - Qualifying - ForceIndia Quotes

Sergio Perez, 7th
"I’m really happy and excited with seventh place today. I always say qualifying in Monaco counts for 90 percent of your final result, so it was important to be strong. To be quick here you need confidence in the car and in yourself, and I had both today. To make it through to Q3 was already a great effort by the team, but to be starting P7 means we have already done a lot of the hard work for the race. We went out early in Q3 because we thought the rain was coming and I had a mega lap. I was worried some of the others might improve their times, especially with the track evolution, but fortunately it was not the case. Tomorrow we have a good opportunity to score some important points. We know that anything can happen on a Sunday in Monaco, but I’m focussed on getting a clean start and a good first lap."

Nico Hulkenberg, 13th
"My final lap was a very good one and I believe I could have been firmly in the top ten, but unfortunately I made a small mistake in the final corner, which cost me enough time to miss out on Q3. Obviously it is disappointing, especially knowing how important your starting position is here. I am likely to be 11th on the grid, which means we will need to choose the right strategy to try and make up some positions. If we make the right calls tomorrow, we should be able to get some points. The brush with the wall in Q1 didn't do any damage but it cost a lot in terms of rhythm: you spend a long time trying to get the right confidence around Monaco and an incident like this sets you back a little. Qualifying in Monaco is always a challenge, but one I really enjoyed. The car feels much better than it did in Barcelona and we seem to have more performance in our hands which is encouraging. Nevertheless, I expect a tough race where good tyre management will be especially important."

Vijay Mallya, team principal and managing director
"Today's strong performance in qualifying is an important boost for the team. Sergio’s laps were competitive right from the off and he had the confidence to extract every fraction of a second from the car. It’s an important result because track position is essential around here. Nico also looked on course for a top ten qualifying position, but fell just short of the mark: it is proof of how competitive the midfield is at the moment that one small mistake can cost so many positions on the grid. Nonetheless, both drivers seemed happy with the car and this gives us confidence for tomorrow. Overtaking is hard on this track, but as this team has shown in previous years it can be done. With an aggressive strategy we should be able to target points for both cars."

Formula1.com 

Monaco GP - Practice - Force India Quotes

Nico Hulkenberg
FP1 - 15th, FP2 - 9th
“I think the morning session was pretty straightforward and the one from which we can draw the most positives. I could only manage one run in the afternoon before the rain came and it would have made little sense to run given that the rest of the weekend will have very different conditions. It’s a logical decision for the team, but it’s a shame for the fans as they didn’t get to see much running in FP2. We still managed to go through most of our preparation work that we would normally do on a Friday: there is room for improvement with our set-up, but we still have time ahead of qualifying.”
Sergio Perez
FP1 - 14th, FP2 - 11th
“We achieved even more than we expected this morning and managed to include some long runs in our programme. We did some experimentation with our tyres and, although the track conditions were not ideal, we decided to try some higher fuel runs. We learnt a lot this morning and we were quite optimistic about the afternoon session, but unfortunately the rain cut the amount of running we could do. We couldn’t do all of the tyre testing we hoped for, but we should be able to do that in FP3 and have enough time to study the data ahead of qualifying. What matters is that the car is giving me the confidence to push it hard, which is really important around a place like Monaco.”
Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“Rain always affects proceedings, but even more so when the forecast for the race is dry: it would have made little sense to go out and risk damage in order to get data of little significance. Both drivers are quite happy with the initial balance of the car and we were able to plan our session to give them as much track time as possible, which is crucial to build their confidence around this track. Given the reduced amount of running in the afternoon session, the bulk of our work was done in the morning: we managed to complete our planned programme with no interruptions, getting some good mileage and information. We knew of the likelihood of rain disrupting FP2, so we included a few runs on high fuel in the morning session, which was a decision that paid off.”

Formula1.com 
 

MonacoGP - Preview - Force India Quotes

Nico Hulkenberg
“Monaco is my favourite race weekend of the year, both from a driving point of view and because of everything that goes on during the week. Everything about Monaco is exciting: the place itself feels special, but when Formula One turns up it's the start of something amazing.
“From a driver's point of view, Monaco is one of the last tracks in the world where you have absolutely zero margin for error - one mistake and you are in the wall. The thrill and kick you get in the car as you drive around the circuit is much bigger than what you get from any other track: your heart rate goes up; your heart is in your mouth – I really like that. The whole lap is a challenge. To master the track and put together three good sectors on a qualifying run is very hard, but when you get it done it is such a great feeling. You are relieved, proud and happy - it's priceless.

“The atmosphere you breathe in during the race weekend is so cool. From the start of the week there is a lot going on in terms of parties and events, and just being part of this weekend is very enjoyable.”

Sergio Perez
“I always look forward to Monaco. It’s a special place, which has everything you need for a Formula One race. The lap is amazing, the location is beautiful, and it’s the race everybody wants to attend.

“I enjoy the challenge of Monaco and I believe that the driver can make more of a difference compared to other circuits. To be quick you have to take some risks, push the limits, and kiss the walls. I enjoy the quick parts of the lap - the swimming pool section and Casino Square. It’s all about being accurate and precise.

“It’s not the most difficult circuit, but if you get it wrong, you get punished. When you get together the perfect lap, it feels great. That’s why I think it’s the one race where there is a chance to do something extra special.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal
“The Monaco Grand Prix is the event of the season. It’s a spectacular venue full of glamour, prestige and history. Everybody wants to be there and getting a good result in Monaco always feels extra special.

“Although we struggled for outright pace in Barcelona, the unpredictable nature of Monaco could help us spring a surprise. It’s a track where we’ve been successful in the past [fifth places in 2013 and 2014] and I believe we can do something special again this year. The softer tyre compounds suit the VJM08 and we have two drivers who adore racing in Monaco. We must also be ready to make opportunistic strategy calls from the pit wall.”

“Before the Spanish Grand Prix I said the priority was to keep in touch with the midfield teams until we bring more performance to the car. It’s encouraging to see that we are just eight points away from fifth place in the standings and hopefully we can add more points to our tally this weekend. One area we need to improve is our qualifying speed so that we can take advantage of our race pace, which has been much more competitive.”

Formula1.com 
 

Force India counts on Monaco 'luck'

 

The Monaco Grand Prix gives Force India a chance to overcome the inherent weaknesses in its current Formula 1 car, says deputy chief Bob Fernley.

With the long-awaited arrival of the B-spec car not due until late June in Austria, Force India is being forced to make the most with the limited resources at its disposal.

Drivers Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg could do no better than 13th and 15th in the last F1 race in Spain, but Fernley thinks the possibility of unpredictable situations in Monaco and the following Canadian GP will help.

"I'd like to see us try and do a little bit for Monaco, if the dice roll our away," Fernley told AUTOSPORT.

"As we all know it is a bit of a lottery there. You do need luck.

"Monaco has always been lucky for us, like with Bahrain, so hopefully that luck stays with us.

"So I can see an opportunity there, and I can probably see a bit of an opportunity in Montreal, and then hopefully we will get close to running the B-spec.

"So whether the B-spec is as planned ready for the test, or whether we can bring it forward to the race, we will see.

"But whatever happens, from then on it will help us."

Fernley added that Force India had always been braced for a struggle at Barcelona, where both cars went out in Q1.

"That gap to our rivals has been there since day one," he said.

"But the Circuit de Catalunya is a track that really hurt us, and the race highlighted it. It was similar in Malaysia and China.

"Where we have had opportunity, and the opportunity was there in Australia and Bahrain, 
we've managed to deliver.

"Australia was better than we thought, and Bahrain was what we aimed for.

"In Barcelona, our race pace was better than we showed in qualifying, but we could do no more than what we achieved."

FORCE INDIA'S MONACO HIGHS
2008: In the days when the team was struggling to escape the back row of the grid, Adrian Sutil got up to a remarkable fourth in a wet/dry race, then was left heartbroken when Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen slid into the back of him.
2010: Sutil and Tonio Liuzzi gave the team its first double points finish as Force India with ninth and 10th (pictured below).
2013: Sutil overtook world champions Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso in a charge to fifth place.
2014: A second straight Monaco top five for Force India as Nico Hulkenberg took fifth, albeit a lap down.

Autosport.com

Spanish GP - Race- Force India quotes

Sergio Perez, 13th

“Considering where I qualified, we probably maximised our race today. Maybe a three-stop strategy would have been a little bit better, but it wouldn't have made much difference in the end. My last stint was really on the limit - nearly 30 laps on the same set of mediums - but we managed them well and I was able to control Ericsson who was putting pressure on me. Once again we showed today that our car is more suited to Sundays, so if we can improve our qualifying pace we can definitely fight for points at the next few races.”

Nico Hulkenberg, 15th

“It was always going to be difficult to score points today, especially on a track where it’s so difficult to overtake. I was always stuck behind other cars and, even with better pace, you lose too much performance running in the dirty air. My three-stop race was the more aggressive approach, but we didn’t have the track position to make the most of it. Maybe things would have worked out better if I had run in some clean air, but points were too far away today. Hopefully we can be more competitive in Monaco. It’s often an unusual race and we will have completely different tyre compounds, which should suit us better.”
Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal

“I think we can be content with today's race despite finishing outside the points. Our pace was more convincing than our qualifying performance, which allowed us to battle against the Saubers and McLarens, but anything more was just outside our reach. We chose early on to split the strategies so that we had the opportunity to make the most of any unexpected developments, but as the race was fairly uneventful, both drivers ended up pretty much in the same place. The main regret is the amount of time Nico lost behind Maldonado in the middle of the race, which again proved how difficult it is to overtake here - even with a tyre advantage and DRS. Looking at the championship table, we are only eight points adrift of fifth place, and we are now one step closer to our big upgrade package, which is encouraging for everyone in the team.”

Formula1.com 
 

Spanish GP - Friday Practice - Force India Quotes

Nico Hulkenberg
FP1 - 11th; FP2 - 17th

“It was one of those days where we ticked off all the jobs without too many issues. I think the long run pace is looking a bit better than our one lap pace, but we still need to find a better balance overnight. There’s a lot of homework to do, but we did a lot of laps today so we have the data we need to make our decisions for tomorrow.”
Sergio Perez
FP1 - 17th; FP2 - 18th

“Today was not the easiest of days, although we had anticipated we would struggle here more than on previous circuits. It is clear that we need to find something more tonight if we want to really fight the teams ahead of us. We couldn't find the right balance and throughout the first two sessions I didn’t feel particularly comfortable, either on the short or the long runs. Tonight's debrief and the engineers’ work will hopefully give us some solutions so that we can be a bit more competitive tomorrow and, most importantly, in the race.”
Robert Fernley, Force India Deputy Team Principal

“We split the programme between the two drivers in FP1 - evaluating some small aero variations to the front and rear of the car, and gathered all the information we needed. It’s fair to say the drivers have struggled with the general balance of the car, especially with the high track temperatures this afternoon, but we worked hard to try and make improvements during the sessions. We take some encouragement from the long run performance, which at this stage appears to be more consistent and more competitive than our pace over a single lap. We also recognise that the margins to the teams ahead of us are quite small so if we can find a good direction tonight we can bring ourselves forward in the midfield fight. That’s especially important for qualifying because we know how difficult it is to overtake here and track position is crucial.”

Formula1.com 
 

Spanish GP - Preview - Force India

Nico Hulkenberg

“The Barcelona race is one of the best weekends on the calendar. The locals are passionate and there’s always a big crowd on race day, so the atmosphere is great. I always stay in the city centre and I really like the place - plus the food is really good: I love paella.
“We all know the Barcelona track really well. You have to think about how to approach a lap because it’s important to look after your tyres. If you take too much out of them in the first sector, you end up paying the price in the final one, so finding the right balance is the key. The first two sectors are fairly straightforward and they are the quickest sections of the track, while the final part of the lap is more technical and low speed.
“As a whole, there is a nice mix of different corners which makes this a very interesting circuit. Overtaking has always been difficult there, even with the introduction of the slow chicane at the end of the lap. The final corner is still fairly quick and it's difficult to follow another car closely. You have to lift to avoid running wide, and that usually takes away the opportunity for overtaking into turn one.”

Sergio Perez

“It's nice to get to Barcelona following a good result in Bahrain. The last race was definitely a bit of a confidence boost for everyone and we will try to keep up this momentum in Spain. At the same time we expect a more challenging weekend because the characteristics of the circuit are very different to Bahrain with a lot more high-speed corners.
“The weekend in Barcelona is always enjoyable. The city and the people remind me a lot of Mexico, and I really like the Spanish food. The fans also make this race special and I always feel a lot of support from the grandstands.
“As a track, Barcelona is a demanding place to drive a Formula One car, with both fast and slow sections. It’s a big test of the aero package - similar to somewhere like Sepang. Overtaking is never easy because it’s difficult to get really close to another car, so good track position really pays off. The DRS zones have made it a bit easier to overtake, but you still need to be quite a bit faster than the cars you are racing.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India Team Principal

“It’s fair to say that we’ve had mixed fortunes during the opening four races. On the positive side, we’ve scored points in half the races and I’ve been impressed by the fighting spirit of the team. On the other hand, we know the VJM08 is not where we want it to be and that we need to work hard to unlock more of its potential.
“It’s still early days in the season, but it’s worth noting how closely-matched the midfield teams remain. There are times when we see up to ten cars within half a second of each other, which means that any improvements we can bring to the car will have a big impact on our results.
“Our pace has been improving with each race, but we will need to wait a little longer before we can make a big step. I’m optimistic about the updates we have planned and we are working hard to get them to the track as soon as possible. The priority over the next few races is to stay in touch with the teams around us. As it stands, fourth place in the championship is just 12 points ahead of us, so we need to keep fighting hard and picking up points when we can.”

Formula1.com