Force India F1's first challenger, the VJM01, is poised to make its competitive debut when it takes to the track for the first time at today's final group test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
The car, named after team co-owners Dr Vijay Mallya and Jan and Michiel Mol, is based on the B-spec F8-VII that Force India's predecessor, Spyker, introduced at the 2007 Italian Grand Prix. Developed throughout the year at its UK base and at two different wind tunnels - in Brackley and at the Aerolab facility in Italy - the B-spec represented a significant step forward for the small operation, but the VJM01 is a further evolution of that development.
"The 2008 car is based on the B-spec car we introduced at the end of last year, but the car we run at the Australian Grand Prix will have numerous aerodynamic and mechanical updates, which we will be testing at Barcelona [this week]," chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne confirmed.
"Aerodynamically, there has been a complete rework of the car. With our two wind tunnels in Brackley and Italy now operating full-time, we have been able to make a lot of progress in the aero department, so almost every aero feature on the car will have been revised. The car we race with in Melbourne, however, will just be the start of a continuous cycle of aerodynamic improvement over the season."
Mechanically, the chassis has also been updated. The rear suspension geometry was significantly revised in 2007, with the rotary dampers replaced with linear ones, as was a new gearbox, designed to comply with the new rules where each 'box must be used for four races. Engine installation has been reviewed in the 2008 design process to make cooling resources lighter, more compact and much more efficient.
"We are looking at significant improvements in the rear suspension and also some systems to improve reliability from last year," Gascoyne continued, explaining that he felt the VJM01 to be yet another step forward, "The B-spec gearbox we introduced was always aimed at four races and, obviously, we had the benefit of testing it at the final races of the year. We've now run many miles on that gearbox and we are very confident that we are very reliable in this area for 2008.
"We have also carried over the engine installation and radiator package, but again have made detailed improvements and incorporated some lighter parts. In some respects, we have been able to make bigger improvements by changing fewer parts on the car, which has enabled us to focus more resources on key areas."
The development in these key areas has largely been facilitated by a significant restructure of Force India's technical department at the end of 2007. Mark Smith, a veteran of Jordan, Renault and Red Bull, joined the team as design director, working under the direction of Gascoyne and alongside technical director James Key, taking responsibility for the day-to-day running of the drawing office and overseeing all car design. That freed Key up to focus on research and development, vehicle science and development projects for the 2009 and subsequent seasons' cars.
"Obviously, as Force India, we have expanded our workforce," Gascoyne confirmed, "and we have had significant new staff come on board in Mark Smith and also Ian Hall, who worked with the team in its Jordan days.
