Vijay Malya could not have expected more than bagging a team for the world’s most sophisticated motorsport, Formula One. The initial years may not have been successful and glorious enough but now after nearly 3 years of hardwork Force India is gaining new heights globally.
At the launch of the 2011 car chairman Vijay Mallya said“This year there is even more to be optimistic about. We’ve got three race drivers that are hungry to take the next steps in their careers, whether that be points, podiums or wins.We have an experienced technical team that have the ingenuity, flexibility and drive to adapt to the new wave of rule changes, and we also have the tools and resources in our partnerships with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines to aim even higher”
Called as the Force India VJM04 the car is as astonishing as the team’s current standing is and becomes the second team to adopt the blade-style roll hoop design in 2011. The first glimpse of the same can be obtained at the Jerez test starting from February 10.
According to the team’s technical director Andrew Green the car has a lot to offer than it meets the eye and features a number of aerodynamic changes. He said, “The removal of the double diffuser resulted in quite a substantial loss of downforce which we spent the winter trying to recover.“From the outside the biggest change you’ll is a move to a ‘blade’ roll hoop. It just gave us a small packaging advantage, we felt, so we went down that route.”
Force India VJM04 Formula One Specifications
Chassis: Carbon fibre composite monocoque with Zylon legality side anti-intrusion panels.
Front suspension: Aluminium uprights with carbon fibre composite wishbones, trackrod and pushrod. Inboard chassis mounted torsion springs, dampers and anti-roll bar assembly.
Rear suspension: Aluminium uprights with carbon fibre composite wishbones, trackrod and pullrod. Inboard gearbox mounted torsion springs, dampers and anti-roll bar assembly.
Wheel base: 3500mm
Front track: 1480mm
Rear track: 1440mm
Overall height: 950mm
Overall length: 5100mm
Overall weight: 640kg (with driver, by regulations)
Wheels: BBS forged wheels to Force India specification
Engine supplier: Mercedes Benz High Performance Engines V8 2.4-litre
KERS: Mercedes Benz High Performance Engines
Transmission: McLaren Racing 7-speed, semi-automatic, ‘e-shift’
Lubricants: Mobil 1 products
Spark plugs: NGK
Clutch: AP Racing carbon clutch
Tyres: Pirelli
Brake system: AP Racing
Brake material: Carbone Industrie
Dampers: Penske By Kate Walker
Video Walkthrough of VJM04
