FORCE INDIA
It’s fair to say Force India was somewhat of a surprise package in the second half of 2015. Granted, the new B-spec car came with high expectations, but it continued to get stronger as the year went on and the team delivered the best finish in the constructors’ championship in its history. For a team with a modest budget, that makes continuing the improvement a difficult task.
Williams is the benchmark for Force India as a fellow Mercedes customer, especially given the improved results delivered by a move to the Toyota wind tunnel last year. Evolution was the name of the game with the 2016 car, but it means a reversal of last year’s approach is required. Force India should start quickly and will need to capitalise in the early races to put itself in a strong position, rather than the damage limitation approach it took to the first half of 2015.
The new car looks quick based on times in testing, and the team has retained its impressive pair of drivers who complement each other so well. Nico Hulkenberg’s consistency is backed up by Sergio Perez’s ability to secure the odd standout result such as in Russia last year. The start to the season is crucial, because Force India doesn’t have the budget to play catch-up during this season and will be forced to switch focus to 2017 at an early stage if it doesn’t start well.
Silbermann's view
The Silverstone-based squad is the perfect example of how to run a Formula 1 team with budgets paired to the bone. It could be a victim of its own success, because a very strong 2015 and a fifth place finish is going to be hard to beat, as it’s all so close in that part of the pack. I was impressed with its two drivers last season and maybe they can make the difference. The intriguing Force India sidebar at the moment is the situation surrounding team owner Vijay Mallya, who depending on your point of view is either “on the run” from India to avoid paying some bills, or simply out of the country on business. In a sport often perceived to be run by cowboys, it would be a shame if it lost it’s only Indian Chief who has taken a backmarker team and moved it to the head of the midfield.
