British GP - Force India Preview

Sergio Perez
“I’m feeling really upbeat after our strong weekend in Austria. We recovered well from some difficult practice sessions and picked up some important points. I think we can do the same in Silverstone. I love the track and I think the car will perform well there. We have some small updates coming on the aero side and I feel very comfortable in this car. I really can’t wait to experience the high-speed corners at Silverstone with all the downforce we have on these 2017 cars.
“I always say that Silverstone is one of the best tracks of the year. There are great corners and it’s a real pleasure to drive in a Formula One car. The fans also make the British Grand Prix special. We always see a huge crowd – even on Friday – and the atmosphere always feels special. It’s one of those races where the drivers’ parade gives you huge energy when you see the support from the fans.”

Esteban Ocon
“I am very excited about racing in my first British Grand Prix. Silverstone has a special atmosphere: there is always a big crowd, everyone is coming here to show their support and enjoy one of the best races of the season and it’s really exciting.
“I can’t wait for the race. The track is great: I like the combination of fast corners, especially Maggots and Becketts. Those corners are awesome. In this year’s cars they’re going to be especially crazy. I have some very good memories from racing Formula 3 in Silverstone. I was on pole, got three podiums and won a race: it was the first event of the season and the results gave me so much confidence for the rest of the championship.
“Our team headquarters are just across the road, so the race feels extra special for us. It’s a home race and the chance to see everyone who works at the factory all year. It’s also where we have our Fan Zone at the Woodlands Campsite. I am looking forward to going there on Saturday night and meeting everyone who has come to support us.”

Tom McCullough, Chief Race Engineer
"Our home Grand Prix in Silverstone is one of the toughest tests for a Formula One car. The current layout is a mix of low, medium and very high speed corners, meaning you have to find the ideal compromise when it comes to set up. We expect the current generation of cars to be very impressive in the high-speed sections, a challenge the drivers will love: this means, however, that we need to produce a car that gives them the confidence required to attack those corners. The high tyre degradation will open up the strategic options, and the weather is always unpredictable – even when dry, the high winds on this exposed track mean conditions can change between a lap and the other, which is an added challenge. At 5.89km, this is one of the longest circuits of the year – we only have 52 laps, quite the opposite from Austria."

Vijay Mallya, Team Principal
“After a double points finish in Austria, we now head to our local race at Silverstone. The VJM10 is working well and we expect to build on our recent competitive form with another strong showing this weekend. Our performance in Austria showed the strength in depth of our team in all areas. Despite chasing the car balance through practice, we got on top of our issues in time for qualifying – when it mattered. Even when we don’t have the perfect weekend, we can be well inside the top ten picking up important points.
“The British Grand Prix is always a huge weekend for this team. Our factory couldn’t be any closer to the circuit and it’s one of our busiest events of the year. Once again we have created a Force India stage and fan zone in the Woodlands campsite so that our drivers can visit during the weekend and meet the fans. For me, this is a highlight of the week because it’s these dedicated supporters who create such a special atmosphere at Silverstone. It’s important that we involve the fans as much as possible and I’m glad that we can give something back to them again this year.”

Formula1.com

Austria GP - Race - Force India Quotes

After intra-team incidents at the previous two races, Force India must have breathed a sigh of relief at getting both cars home cleanly. Perez finished ahead of his team mate, who drove well to hold off a charging Massa on fresher tyres. A double points finish is a good return to form ahead of the team's home race next weekend.

Sergio Perez, 7th
“Finishing seventh is a great result for the team and a nice reward considering how difficult this weekend has been for us. We struggled in practice, but come qualifying and the race we were quite strong and we came home with some good points. It wasn’t the easiest of races for me. I made a good start, but I lost places to both Esteban and Lewis [Hamilton] at turn one. Thankfully I was able to pass them both at turn three and regain my starting position. I suffered from a lot of front graining in my first stint, but after the pit stop I was able to settle down into a rhythm, even though it wasn’t enough to attack Grosjean. We had very similar pace to him so we couldn’t get any closer. It has been a difficult weekend, but we recovered well and we can be happy with the outcome. Now our focus shifts to Silverstone. I really can’t wait to try these 2017 cars on the fastest track on the calendar.”

Esteban Ocon, 8th
“I’m pleased with the points we’ve scored today and it was a strong race for the team. I made a good start and gained a couple of positions, but I was behind Lewis [Hamilton] going into turn three and got squeezed, which meant I had to ease off and lost momentum. Then it was just a case of keeping my head down and being consistent with my laptimes. I don’t think we went the right way with the strategy because I lost a lot of time to Massa after my stop and we just need to review things and see if we could have done anything differently. It’s not been the easiest of weekends for us, but we’ve worked hard and it’s satisfying to come away with good points even when things are not going perfectly. I think we showed our strength as a team.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“Another double points finish is just what we needed today. The team did an excellent job to convert our strong qualifying into solid points and we leave Austria feeling pretty satisfied with our performance. It was a relatively calm race from the pit wall with no significant dramas. Both drivers kept out of trouble on lap one and as the race settled down we were able to hold station with competitive race pace. These ten points consolidate our fourth place in the championship as we approach the midway point of the season.”

Formula1.com

Austria GP - Qualifying - Force India Quotes

Ocon felt he might have done better were it not for the late yellow flags, but regardless of that it was another strong showing from the Silverstone team, with both cars inside the top ten. Perez will move up to seventh on the grid thanks to Hamilton’s penalty and another double-points finish could well be on the cards.

Sergio Perez - 8th, 1:05.605
“I’m feeling happy with our performance today. I think it was one of my best qualifying sessions when you consider how difficult things have been leading up to the session. I was P17 in second practice and P18 in final practice this morning. So to end qualifying in eighth place shows the mega steps we have taken to improve the car. It’s been a huge effort by the whole team. I was a bit unlucky with the yellow flag at the end of the session because there was an opportunity to improve my time. I’m really looking forward to this race and I think we will be even stronger in race conditions. We need to keep an eye on the weather, but wet or dry I think we can have a great race tomorrow.”

Esteban Ocon - 9th, 1:05.674
“I am not completely happy with ninth place, given all that happened in the session, but it’s still a good starting position. My fastest lap in Q3 was set on used tyres, but the yellow flags meant I couldn’t finish my attempt on fresh tyres. I feel I could have been a couple of places higher up, but it’s the way racing goes sometimes – you have to take your chances when you can. We need to review if there is something we could have done better, but I am still feeling positive about the weekend. We improved a lot since yesterday and the feeling I have with the car is much better now than it was during practice. I enjoy this track and it’s a place where you can overtake so hopefully we can bring home some good points tomorrow.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“After a challenging Friday, it’s great to see both cars qualify well this afternoon. It sets us up nicely for a strong race tomorrow knowing that we have a competitive car with solid race pace. The team has done an incredible job to get on top of the balance issues we had during yesterday’s practice sessions and the car is now much more to the drivers’ liking. The yellow flag towards the end of qualifying meant we didn’t necessarily maximise the session with either car, but we can’t be disappointed with the outcome of today’s qualifying session.”

Formula1.com 

Austria GP - Practice - Force India Quotes

Ocon was quick all day, and ended on the fringes of the top 10. Perez had to surrender his car to Celis in FP1, and was then able to make little impact in FP2.

Sergio Perez - FP2: 1:07.509, P17
“It’s been a difficult day trying to get up to speed this afternoon. I’ve struggled with the balance of the car – mainly the corner entry stability and with the rear – so we’ve been trying to solve those issues. We need to understand where we can improve tonight and pick up some speed tomorrow to make sure was can be in the fight for Q3.”

Esteban Ocon - FP1: 1:07.511, P10; FP2: 1:06.849, P11
“A solid day for me with no real issues or problems. We found some more speed with every run, but there is still room for improvement and I know there is more to come tomorrow – from me, from the car; in all areas really. It’s going to be a really tight grid tomorrow with small margins so the work we do tonight will be very important.”

Alfonso Celis - FP1: 1:09.280; P18
“It was a shame to have the electrical problem with the car because it really limited what we could achieve – just 15 laps, mainly of aero work. The issue ended the session early and we didn’t get to start the performance work. It’s a track that I love so I’m disappointed we couldn’t do more laps.”

Formula1.com

Austria GP - Force India Preview

Sergio Perez
“I’m still feeling disappointed about the lost opportunity in Baku, but at the same time I’m feeling positive about the performance level we showed. We were fighting at the front and the car was working well. It’s just a shame my race ended early because there was a great chance of finishing on the podium. I think we can be just as competitive in Austria and pick up some good points this weekend.
“The circuit in Austria is in a really beautiful place. You feel like you are racing with nature. When you look at a map of the track it looks like a simple lap, but it’s not as easy as you think. There are lots of elevation changes and some difficult sections. It’s really important to carry the speed through the corners so you don’t lose time down the long straights. The final corner is off-camber so it’s easy to run wide and lose time there.”

Esteban Ocon
“Austria is a track I know much better than the previous ones on which we have raced so far this season. I drove there a lot in the junior categories and I tested for Sahara Force India there in 2015. It’s a great place and the altitude makes it a challenge for the engine and the brakes.
“The circuit doesn’t have many corners, but it’s still difficult to get a perfect lap: in particular, the last two corners are the most enjoyable in the track because they’re quite tricky and even a small mistake can ruin a good lap right at the end. There is no real secret to finding time around the lap; you just have to get the details right and make it stick all weekend.
“The town of Spielberg is very quiet and it’s nice to go there at this busy moment in the season. In general, it’s a very relaxing place to be and there are a lot of opportunities to do sports, enjoy the fresh air and all the country can offer.”

Vijay Mallya, team principal
“I can’t remember a Grand Prix creating such a buzz and so many talking points as the race we saw in Baku. We certainly played our part in a dramatic race and it’s still frustrating to ponder what might have been had things played out differently. Since Baku we’ve had some conversations internally and reminded our drivers that the team must always come first. It’s never acceptable for team mates to make contact with each other and it certainly cost us points in Baku.
“However, the events of Azerbaijan won’t change our approach. Our drivers can race freely and I’m sure they have learned some valuable lessons. We’ve given them a competitive car and I know they are mature enough to work together for the good of the team.
“This weekend in Austria will be another opportunity to show the speed of the VJM10 and continue our run of points finishes. We need to keep up our momentum and scoring points consistently to maintain our fourth place in the championship. There is no room for complacency and we will keep pushing and trying to maximise every race.”

Formula1.com 

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.

Autosport.com