A victory for Force India in 2010

Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya announced on Monday a deal that will see Force India use the same engines, gearboxes, and KERS as McLaren starting in 2009.

The Indian team did not score any points in 2008 when it used Ferrari engines. Mallya claims that his team will aim to score points regularly next year before winning a race in 2010.

« We all know how competitiveness is a determining factor in Formula 1, » said the Indian to a group of journalists at the Force India factory.

« All the teams will have new cars in 2009 with a new design. From my point of view, I would be happy if we regularly score points next year. That would already be a big step forward, then a win in 2010. »

The new partnership will see McLaren’s current Director of Operations, Simon Roberts, become the new Chief Operating Officer of Force India. He will work full-time at the Silverstone factory. McLaren-Mercedes might not stop there and could also place a McLaren driver within the Indian team in the short term. The name of Pedro de la Rosa, currently a test driver for the Woking team, is the most mentioned. Stay tuned…

McLaren F1’s CEO, Martin Whitmarsh, aims to transform Force India into a winning team, but he admitted that the task will be challenging given the strong competition in Formula 1.

« People should not forget that the difference between the front and the back of the grid is not that big. I believe we can help Force India develop a number of processes and techniques. »

Mallya added that one of his main goals is to see an Indian car on the podium at the first Indian Grand Prix in 2011.

« I am sure that Martin Whitmarsh would like to see a Force India and a McLaren on the podium. »

«There is nothing wrong with that, it will simply show the benefits that both our teams will gain from this agreement. »

On the same subject, Whitmarsh commented: « From my point of view, I look forward to the day when Force India will be on a podium, regardless of McLaren’s result. »

Mallya also emphasized that this new commitment will be fully compatible with the Concorde Agreement which concerns the single-seaters of the ‘daughter’ teams: « We do not know what form the Concorde Agreement will take in the future. »

« Through this, the definition of a constructor will evolve and I must say that I bought this team only because it has constructor status. »