Force India makes first move towards new name

The Force India Formula 1 team has taken the first steps towards a possible rebranding as Force One.

Documents reveal that on May 31 and June 6 new limited companies were registered in the UK under the names Force One Grand Prix, Force One Racing, Force One Team, Force One Technologies, Force One Hospitality and Force One Brand.

The only director listed is Dr Thiruvannamalai Laskshimi Kanthan, an accountant and financial consultant and long time associate of Dr Vijay Mallya.

He is also a director of Force India and three other companies connected with it.

Mallya is planning a change to a more generic name in an attempt to open up options for sponsorship, given that it has proved hard to raise funds in India.

Force India chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer admitted that aside from Mallya's own Kingfisher brand there had only been "a couple, but not very many" Indian sponsors and that the loss of the nation's grand prix after 2013 had effectively stalled interest.

A new name would also potentially make it easier to sell a shareholding in the team.
The new companies have essentially been created to protect the team's preferred new name while it awaits approval, and none of them will actually become the team as such.

The company that currently uses the Force India Formula 1 Team name and holds all commercial rights - and which was previously known as Jordan, Midland and Spyker - would have to change to Force One.

An application for a chassis name change would have to be made to the FIA, and approved by the F1 Commission.

Traditionally Bernie Ecclestone did not make it easy for teams to change names without good reason, but Szafnauer is optimistic.

"I think there's a spirit of cooperation in that regard," he said.

"We voted for Brawn to go to Mercedes, and I would hope they would reciprocate."
Szafnauer said it was important to get the name right for the long term.

"You don't change your name every other year, so we've got to think about it deeply and philosophically, and make sure if we do it, it's going to be there for a long time," he said.

"The one reason Bernie didn't like name changes all the time is that a team over time gets an identity and everyone knows who it is.

"We've been Force India for 10 years now. If we do change, it should last another 10 years or 20 years so people get to know what it is.

"If we choose a name that's closely linked to Force India but not Force India that might even be an easier step forward."

The FORCE name was previously associated with the F1 team also known as Beatrice Haas in 1985 and '86, but whose official title was Formula One Race Car Engineering.

When owner Carl Haas pulled out of F1 it was bought by Ecclestone, who still owns it, although it has not actually traded since then.

Autosport.com

Force India reserve Celis gets first F1 practice outings of 2017

The Force India Formula 1 team will use its reserve driver Alfonso Celis Jr in Friday practice for the first time this season at the Austrian and Hungarian Grands Prix.

Celis had six outings in official F1 weekend sessions during 2016, but his only on-track appearances for the team so far this year have been in winter and post-Bahrain GP testing.

Force India has announced that Sergio Perez will step aside for Celis on Friday morning at the Red Bull Ring next week, with Esteban Ocon doing so at the Hungaroring in a month's time.

Celis's main campaign this year is a third season in what is now called World Series Formula V8 3.5.

Driving for Fortec this season, the 20-year-old Mexican claimed his first FV8 win at Spa in May and is fighting for the title with Lotus duo Pietro Fittipaldi and Rene Binder.

Celis sits third in the standings after last weekend's Aragon round, 16 points off leader Fittipaldi.

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Crash cost Force India potential victory - Perez

Force India had a realistic shot at a first ever Formula One victory until the moment Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez collided, according to the Mexican.

Perez was running third in the early stages of the Grand Prix - behind only Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel - but ended up under pressure from Williams' Felipe Massa and team mate Esteban Ocon at the restart.

Massa stole through, but as Ocon tried to follow the Brazilian he ended up squeezing Perez into the wall - and, with nowhere to go, the pair made contact, effectively scuppering both men's races. With Massa retiring, and Hamilton and Vettel dropping back due to penalties, Perez believes Force India could have inherited the driving seat in Baku in much the same way as Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo eventually did.

"It's a shame to retire from a race like this because I think we would have been in a position to win the race," Perez said.

"The team did a great job all weekend and deserved much more than to have a race ruined in these circumstances.

"I couldn't do anything to avoid the accident and it's particularly bad for our team because it ruined the races of both of us on a day in which other teams have scored big points. We will need to discuss the situation within the team and make sure something like this does not happen again.

"As drivers, we are just part of a much bigger team and we have a responsibility to do our best to bring home a good result, especially considering what would have been possible today. Before the incident, it had been a great race and a strong weekend..."
Ocon, who went on to finish sixth, admitted the crash had proved costly - and like Perez said the team will need to review the incident before moving on.

"It's hard to sum up your feelings after such a busy race," he reflected. "I'm happy with our performance and also disappointed not to realise the potential we had today.

"It's never nice to have an incident with your team mate and it was costly for both of us – we both lost a lot of time and positions. Fortunately I could recover, overtake a lot of cars and score some important points for the team.

"We will discuss things internally and see what happened, but when you are racing close to each other at a restart these things can happen sometimes. Sergio was very deep into turn one at the restart and I went on his inside.

"He squeezed me between turns one and two, and I was on the inside going into turn two. He was trying to resist on the outside of the corner and we touched. We need to review it together and understand more. For sure it should not happen again in the future."

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Baku GP - Race - Force India Quotes

Perez made up three places at the start, and kept Vettel ahead very honest at the many restarts. Running third and fifth with Massa's Williams in between, Ocon saw an opportunity to challenge for position. Unfortunately, Massa managed to squeeze past and instead it was the team mates who collided, with Perez coming off worse after hitting the wall. The Mexican would retire, but helped by the red flag period and the swift work of his mechanics, Ocon continued and came home in the points. The Force India garage might be a difficult place to be tonight for the second race in a row. 

Esteban Ocon, 6th
“It’s hard to sum up your feelings after such a busy race. I’m happy with our performance and also disappointed not to realise the potential we had today. It’s never nice to have an incident with your teammate and it was costly for both of us – we both lost a lot of time and positions. Fortunately I could recover, overtake a lot of cars and score some important points for the team. We will discuss things internally and see what happened, but when you are racing close to each other at a restart these things can happen sometimes. Sergio was very deep into turn one at the restart and I went on his inside. He squeezed me between turns one and two, and I was on the inside going into turn two. He was trying to resist on the outside of the corner and we touched. We need to review it together and understand more. For sure it should not happen again in the future.”

Sergio Perez, DNF
 “It’s a shame to retire from a race like this because I think we would have been in a position to win the race. The team did a great job all weekend and deserved much more than to have a race ruined in these circumstances. I couldn’t do anything to avoid the accident and it’s particularly bad for our team because it ruined the races of both of us on a day in which other teams have scored big points. We will need to discuss the situation within the team and make sure something like this does not happen again. As drivers, we are just part of a much bigger team and we have a responsibility to do our best to bring home a good result, especially considering what would have been possible today. Before the incident, it had been a great race and a strong weekend. My start was very good and I was fighting for second place on merit, but we were really unlucky at the Safety Car restart. Even after the crash, the team did a great job to get the car back together and allow me to resume the race. Even then, the seat broke and the team retired the car on safety grounds. It shows how unlucky this weekend turned out to be.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“It was a race of what ifs and what might have been. We had a quick car today and had a good chance of finishing on the podium – perhaps with both cars. Sadly we lost out during a safety car restart, which led to Esteban and Sergio making contact on the exit of turn two. Both cars were damaged and it effectively ended Sergio’s afternoon. Esteban was able to stage an excellent recovery drive and was up in third place with just 13 laps to go. In the end the speed of the Ferraris and Mercedes proved too strong and he dropped to sixth, but it was important to pick up useful points. It was a shame to miss out on a podium from a race that saw so much drama, but that’s the nature of motor racing. We will discuss what happened internally and come back stronger in Austria in a couple of weeks’ time.”

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Baku GP - Qualifying - Force India Quotes

Perez must have fond memories of this track after his stellar drive here last year, and he put yesterday's crash firmly behind him by making Q3 with ease. Despite having his first flying run scuppered by red flags, he pulled out a great lap when it mattered to grab a spot on the third row. Ocon lines up just behind in a career-best seventh and with memories of their fierce intra-team battle two weeks ago still fresh in the mind, the start could be an interesting watch for the Force India pit wall. 

Sergio Perez, 6th, 1:42.111 
“I’m quite pleased with sixth place. The red flag in Q3 was not helpful because I had yet to set a competitive time and it meant I only had one chance to deliver right at the end. Normally we do an out lap, a preparation lap, and then push, but there just wasn’t time. So it was not an ideal Q3, but I’m still happy with our performance. There are quick cars ahead of us and also behind us, so it’s going to be a very close battle tomorrow. It’s a street circuit so it will be important to stay out of trouble and react quickly as things happen in the race.”

Esteban Ocon, 7th, 1:42.186 
“It’s the best qualifying position in my career and I am very happy about how the session went. I made a tiny mistake on my fastest lap and that probably cost me a position, but as a team we have been improving every step of the way. Today was all about pushing to the limit: I brushed the wall three times, something I didn’t do yesterday, but I wanted to give everything today. We are in a strong position for tomorrow’s race and we know anything can happen here. It’s a tight track and very tricky to get right. A strong first lap will be crucial, but the most important thing will be to finish the race. If you get to the end here, you can score big points. Our pace is good and I am confident we can get a good result.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“Another excellent team performance, which sets us up nicely for a strong race tomorrow. The car has been quick since the start of practice and we’ve made steady progress through all of the sessions to give the drivers a well-balanced car. This track plays to our strengths and it’s satisfying to convert our speed into solid positions on the grid. It’s hard to know what sort of race we will get tomorrow, but it could be quite eventful. Whatever happens we will react quickly to optimise the strategy and hopefully bring home a bunch of points.”

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Baku GP - Friday practice - Force India

Ocon had a good day and was always in the top 10, but Perez blotted his copybook here for the second year in a row after smacking his VJM10 into the wall in Turn 8 when he used to much of the left-hand kerb. The team did an excellent job to repair significant damage in time for FP2, when he was again very quick, so tails remain up for tomorrow.

Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:45.398, P4; FP2: 1:44.306, P7
"First and foremost, I want to thank my mechanics and the whole team for fixing the car so quickly. They are some of the best guys in the pit lane and they showed exactly why. This morning was all about trying to find the limits, and I think we did – it was good it happened today rather than tomorrow. It was a bit of a messy day, not just with what happened in FP1 but also because of all the yellow and red flags breaking the flow of the sessions. I still think we are in a good position. Tonight we will need to work out the best set-up: I feel we have a good potential for the weekend, we just have to put it all together when it matters."

Esteban Ocon - FP1: 1:45.752, P7; FP2: 1:44.484, P9
"I'm pretty happy about today. We had good pace in the car and I felt quite comfortable right from the start. I feel we couldn't really show our speed because of all the yellow flags and the traffic I found on my quick laps, but it doesn't matter. The important days for this weekend are yet to come. It was my first time around this circuit, so the priority was to keep out of trouble: this is not an easy track to learn but I enjoy the challenge. It's a narrow circuit and it's very easy to brake a bit too late, which is why there were so many yellow flags."

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
"It was not the most straightforward of Fridays, with Sergio's unfortunate crash during the first practice session. The crew did a truly fantastic job to replace all the broken components and get the car out for the start of FP2, which allowed us to complete a full programme this afternoon. Aside from the incident, it was a productive day. We witnessed a lot of track evolution, which is normal for a temporary street circuit: together with the conservative range of tyre compounds, it meant a lot of our work was about understanding the tyres and getting them to work. The sessions had a lot of interruptions, with many yellow and red flags, which disrupted everyone's performance runs, so we chose to focus on high fuel running. We were also able to split some test items between the two cars. We have plenty to analyse tonight – the initial feeling is positive but there is always room for improvement. Our performance today was reasonable, but it is still too early to tell where we stand."

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Baku GP - Force India Preview

Sergio Perez
“There were a lot of things said after Montreal and lots of different opinions, but I’m pleased the team decided to let us race without team orders. I will always fight for the best result for the team and I’m proud of our race. There were discussions on the radio about switching positions with Esteban, but my pace was good and I was running close to Daniel [Ricciardo] for almost 50 laps. I knew my best chance to overtake was during the lapped traffic and I got very close, but we didn’t have the pace advantage to make the move.

“I feel positive after Montreal. The car was quick and we were competitive. It was always going to be one of our best circuits of the year, but we still had to deliver. It’s a good sign for Baku – another track with long straights and big braking zones. I always enjoy street tracks and the team has done a fantastic job to develop the car during the last few races. I think we will be in good shape this weekend too.

“The memories from last year’s race in Baku are still very strong. We had great pace and I loved the track layout. To recover from a gearbox penalty and still finish on the podium was a very special feeling. It was definitely one of my best weekends in Formula One. If we can find the sweet spot again this year I think we can fight for some big points.”

Esteban Ocon
“I really enjoyed my first experience of driving in Montreal. When I got out of the car it felt as though I had only been racing for 15 minutes because everything went by so quickly – that’s when you know you’re having fun! It was another weekend where the team did a fantastic job improving the cars. Every time we went out in practice and qualifying, we took a step forward and that’s been one of our strengths this year.

“It felt great to be in the battle for a podium and to see how competitive we are as a team. It makes me feel excited about going to Baku and what we can achieve there. It feels like we’ve got a really good understanding of how to get the most from this car. It’s another new track for me, but I’ll keep trying to learn as fast as possible and I’m sure I can get on the pace quickly. I’ve been playing some computer games to learn the track so I’ve done my homework.
“Baku is a great destination for Formula One. Street races always generate a special atmosphere and the city is really cool. I was able to explore a bit last year so I know my way around the place and I’ve walked the track, but I’ve yet to drive there.”

Tom McCullough, Chief Race Engineer
“At 6.003km, Baku is the second longest circuit of the year, making the race just 51 laps long. It’s also the first anti-clockwise track on which we run this season and another big test for the brakes, with plenty of big stops. We know much more about this street circuit than we did one year ago, when we came here for the very first time, so the learning curve won’t be as steep once we start practice on Friday. However, it is a new track for Esteban, so giving him track time will be a priority. Set-up wise, there are significant long straights which will require lower drag level wings. The majority of grip-limited corners are low speed so the car needs to be strong there. It can be very hot in Azerbaijan at this time of the year and we will need to prepare to handle those conditions, if required. Most importantly, we will need to set up a car in which our drivers can be confident: like in Monaco and Montreal, many of the corners are lined with walls so precision is an absolutely key element.”

Vijay Mallya, team principal
“There is a lot of optimism ahead of this weekend. Last year Baku turned out to be a good race for the team and we believe we can deliver another strong performance this year. The progress we’ve made with the VJM10 since the start of the season has been considerable and we have brought developments to the car at every race so far. All the hard work is paying off and I’m proud of our results.”

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