Sahara Force India F1 Team

History in F1

Force India is one of the newest teams on the F1 circuit, established by buying out Team Spyker F1. It was established in 2007, by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and former Spyker-owner, Michiel Mol. The team debuted under much fanfare in 2008, coinciding with young Indian drivers joining the F1 circuit and the Indian Grand Prix debuting in 2011. The F1 Season is part of having more of an Indian presence in F1, with young Indian drivers and the Indian Grand Prix in the 2011. The team finally scored its first Grand Prix points at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix and seems to be improving its performance each year. The 2011 Season saw Force India finish in 6th place, with 69 points, just four points behind Renault. For 2012, the team has added the Sahara name, as the Indian company Sahara India Pariwar acquired a 42.5% stake in the team.

Information

Team Force India has consistently improved each year, since its inception. In 2009, it scored only 13 points, in 2010 it scored 68 points, finishing 7th and in 2011 in 6th place with 69 points. For the 2012 Season, the team moves Paul di Resta to its leading driver position, replacing Adrian Sutil. The second driver slot goes to German driver, Nico Hülkenberg, who was the team's reserve driver in 2011.

Technical Details & Statistics

Force India began by using the VJM01 chassis – based on old Spyker chassis - and Ferrari 056 V8 engine. In 2009, the team changed to the Mercedes engine, which gave the team better consistency. In 2012, the team will stay with the Mercedes engine, FO 108Z, and the VJM05 chassis.

Base: Silverstone (UK)
Team Principal: Vijay Mallya
Main drivers: Paul di Resta & Nico Hülkenberg
Engine: FO 108Z
Chassis: VJM05
Debut F1 Season: 2008
World Championship Titles: 0
Highest race finish: 2 (x1)
Pole Position: 1
Fastest lap times: 1

Drivers

Driver 1: Paul di Resta

Taking over for Adrian Sutil, di Resta was the second driver for Force India in 2011, having taken over from Vitantonio Liuzzi, the previous year. Prior to entering the F1 circuit, he was the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters champion. The English driver also has experience in karting, Formula Three and Formula Renault. Di Resta's F1 debut took place in 2011, at the Australian Grand Prix for Force India. Prior to that, his experience in F1 was being a test driver for McLaren and Force India.

Driver Statistics:

Nationality: UK
Date of Birth: 16 April 1986
World Championship Titles: 0
Number of Grand Prix won: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Career Points: 27
Podiums: 0

Driver 2: Nico Hülkenberg

Nico Hülkenberg moves up from a test driver, taking over from Paul di Resta, who moves to Sahara Force India's first driver. The German driver's F1 career began in 2007, when he test drove for Williams, who were so impressed that they offered him a test driver spot. Hülkenberg became a full-fledged driver for Williams in 2010 and scored his first Grand Prix points at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix. In 2011, he joined Force India as a reserve driver. He is a young driver to watch.

Driver Statistics:

Nationality: Germany
Date of Birth: 19 August 1987
World Championship Titles: 0
Number of Grand Prix won: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Career Points: 22
Podiums: 0