Filed under: Motorsports, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, UK, India
Officially official: Force India ditches Ferrari for McLaren
Ferrari's 056 V8 was good enough to propel the Scuderia to the constructors' title this past season, and good enough to bring erstwhile back-markers Toro Rosso to a solid 6th place by season's end. But it wasn't enough to take Force India F1 – the latest incarnation of Jordan Grand Prix – out from the back of the field all season. Notwithstanding the unfortunate incident that saw Ferrari's own Kimi Raikkonen take Force India's Adrian Sutil out from 4th place at the Monaco Grand Prix with only ten minutes to go, Force India didn't manage a top 10 finish all season, earning a grand total of 0 championship points. So rather than stick with Ferrari, Vijay Mallya – the team's owner, chairman, director and main sponsor – has canceled the remaining year left in his contract with Ferrari and defected to McLaren-Mercedes instead.
The new deal, which was widely anticipated, will see Force India using engines, transmissions, hydraulics, Kinetic Energy Recovery System and a variety of other parts from McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines. The collaboration means McLaren-Mercedes will provide pretty much everything but the chassis, which Force India will have to design itself using its new computational fluid dynamics facility.
This new deal with McLaren tips the balance: whereas Ferrari was supplying an unprecedented two teams with engines this past season and McLaren none, in the coming season each will supply another team, while Toyota continues to supply Williams and Renault to Red Bull, leaving Honda (since the demise of Super Aguri) and BMW as the only engine suppliers not supporting b-squads.
[Source: Force India Formula One Team, Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty]
PRESS RELEASE
Force India Formula One Team Announces Technical Partnerships With Mclaren Applied Technologies, Mercedes-Benz Highperformanceengines And Eads
Force India Formula One Team is pleased to announce a major new partnership that will propel the team forward for the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship and beyond; a ground-breaking technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies (which is a company wholly owned by the McLaren Group) and with Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines.
In a unique long term deal, the Force India Formula One Team VJM02 cars will be powered by engines designed and built by Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, the first time that the legendary manufacturer has supplied another chassis constructor other than McLaren. Additionally, Force India will have access to the McLaren Group's network of bespoke suppliers that has supported this year's World Championship victory.
McLaren Applied Technologies will additionally supply the Force India Formula One Team cars with McLaren Racing gearboxes and hydraulic systems and will provide operational support to ensure Force India functions at its highest possible level.
The Force India Formula One Team also plans to fit its cars with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) that is currently being developed by Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines and McLaren Racing (which is also a company wholly owned by the McLaren Group).
In conjunction with aerospace company EADS - which, like McLaren and Mercedes, is also a global leader in its field – Force India Formula One Team announced that it will soon be expanding the computational fluid dynamics capability of its Brackley Aero Centre facility.
Dr. Vijay Mallya, chairman and managing director of Force India, commented: 'We are absolutely delighted to be able to announce a technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, and also our plan to expand the composite manufacturing capability and drawing office within our Silverstone facility.
'McLaren and Mercedes-Benz are two of the most famous names in motorsport history, having achieved great success in Grand Prix racing over many years, and most recently, a superb victory in probably the most dramatic World Championship Formula 1 has seen.
'These new resources and developments will provide an enormous boost to our technical armoury and, as a result, we have high hopes of making good progress in 2009 and beyond.
'Force India Formula One Team has been in existence for only one year, and inevitably our first season has constituted a learning period. But we said at the outset that we meant business and were not interested in merely making up the numbers. The announcement of our new technical partnership, combined with the new developments and resources outlined above, clearly underlines that we meant what we said. I would like personally to thank Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Max Mosley, both of whom offered their assistance and support throughout the gestation of this deal.'
'Interest in Formula One in India, especially among the 300-million-plus professional-class demographic as well as in neighbouring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Abu Dhabi with a large Indian population, is growing at astonishing levels. Formula One commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone has declared plans to stage an Indian Grand Prix in 2011, in Delhi, our capital city, by which time Force India Formula One Team will be exactly that: a Formula One force in, and for, India.'
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sherief 11:55AM (11/11/2008)
They should just power their cars with four Tata Nano motors joined at the crank.
Reply
ken_aisin 1:30PM (11/11/2008)
Or putting a McLaren Mercedes engine into a Nano with wings.
Amien 1:37PM (11/11/2008)
Why do you talk?
Sherief 1:43PM (11/11/2008)
I talk in an attempt to be witty, which sometimes succeeds, sometimes doesn't.
But it's better than talking just to flame other posters.
pmiddle5 2:09PM (11/11/2008)
I found it humorous enough
Franz 12:06PM (11/11/2008)
The Mercedes motors have been more reliable than the Ferraris this last season, but Force India's lack of pace wasn't engine related: look at the pace of the Toro Rosso. They need a better chassis, but more importantly better drivers IMO.
Reply
John Johnson 12:30PM (11/11/2008)
Ooh, you take that, Ferrari.
Reply
John 12:33PM (11/11/2008)
Good, less money for Ferrari to waste.
Reply
pmiddle5 2:09PM (11/11/2008)
Ferrari has one of the lower budgets out of all the teams so atleast they waste their money smarter
Alvin 3:19PM (11/11/2008)
Perhaps with the extra money Ferrari can actually make their cars reliable next season so their drivers won't have to lose the WDC by one damn point because they couldn't give a reliable car all season long.
Really not surprised Force India did the supplier switch...McLaren has been rock solid in terms of reliability through the entire season. I agree with Franz though. Force India definitely needs a better chassis. Oh well...it's their first season and F1 is a very tough sport to be competitive in if you're not Ferrari or McLaren
Metar 12:55PM (11/11/2008)
It's top-8 for a points finish, Autoblog. 9th and 19th are the same positions, points-wise (though they have some effect on the standings).
Reply
Ian 1:24PM (11/11/2008)
Here is what is crazy!
Richards, with the help of Kuwaiti money, buys Aston Martin from Ford.
Richards gets the Franchise for Bernie/Max to start a new F1 Team and Richards does the deal with McLaren/Mercedes to run a Junior McLaren team using a "customer car".
Other F1 teams object to "customer cars" and Richards drops the McLaren/Mercedes F1 effort.
Force India(FI) drops Ferrari power package (Ferrari won't confirm a KERS pacjkage for 2009 will be available for sale) and does the deal with McLaren/Mercedes(MM). FI will design and bild the chassis around the MM unit.
MM probably tells FA which drivers to use so FI becomes a test bed Junior team for McLaren. Nice!
Meantime Mercedes drops McLaren for development of all new Halo Mercedes Sportscars and does the deal with Richards/Aston Martin.
Enuff to make one dizzy...
Reply
pmiddle5 2:16PM (11/11/2008)
McLaren has not made any road cars I found amazing since being paired up with Mercedes. Dont forget the McLaren F1 had a BMW motor. But yeah, it is definitely a lot of bouncing around currently.
If Ferrari had a KERS package coming it wouldnt have happened. But I'm sure Mercedes/McLaren is going to push for chassis help to Force India as well.
Marc 1:59PM (11/11/2008)
Both Force India fans just yawned and asked, "what's this Ferrari people keep talking about?"
Reply
hashiryu 12:49PM (11/11/2008)
lol I found myself saying that with an Indian accent... rofl
ken_aisin 2:13PM (11/11/2008)
Not sure if KERS is the real issue behind the switch from Ferrari to McLaren. Either way, KERS shouldn't be implemented next year when teams are still struggling to make it safe and reliable.
It is really about time to get rid of Max Mosley. This crazy bastard wants standard engine by 2010 to cut cost, then he wants all F1 cars be hybrid by 2013 which will definitely cost the teams more to develop. I think he's turning F1 into his own freak show (just like the one he had with the hookers).
I don't agree with engine standardization because it is a significant part of the competition. I don't agree with hybrid F1 cars either because it will cost more to develop when everyone is trying to cut cost. If having hybrid F1 cars is a way to make the competition more environmental friendly, they might as well run the cars with battery and electric motor. As least electric motors are easier to build, easier to maintain, and much more reliable than gas engines. Besides, it provides loads of torque at any rpm.
Reply
pmiddle5 2:18PM (11/11/2008)
I dont think he ACTUALLY wants customer engines. He says that to manipulate people into taking radical actions to cut costs. Max Mosley and Bernie never say anything straight. Its always a goal to get something else they way
tom 3:00PM (11/11/2008)
Force India sucks. Maybe they are hoping to get better by cheating like the McLaren liars. It could work.
Reply
Temple 3:29PM (11/11/2008)
Everytime I saw them on track I always mistook them for a McLaren since their livery is so much alike. I guess now its not just the livery that's identical. . .
Reply