Is Force India aiming too high for its first GP?

Force India believes it is capable with its VJM01 of fighting for a place in Q2 during Grand Prix qualifying right from the start of the season.

The pace of the new single-seater, which was on track for the first time this week in Barcelona, tends to show that the team has made a step forward in terms of performance.

Adrian Sutil, already present last year when the team was still called Spyker, is very pleased with the car and believes that a place in Q2 during qualifying is realistic and very likely.

« The new car has improved. The first day was very satisfying for me. It performs better in terms of stability in corners, and it is easier to drive, » he stated.

« Thus, an improvement of perhaps three or four tenths for the Melbourne Grand Prix is something to seriously consider. So, I think we can be competitive in Australia. »

Sutil acknowledged that despite positive information regarding the aerodynamics of the new car, he didn’t see his team making a step forward in 2008. But now, after testing the VJM01 for the first time, he is much more confident.

« I have been attentive to everything the engineers have said so far, but I am happy with our first days with the new race car, » explained the German.

The ‘team principal’ Colin Kolles supported Sutil’s statements, thinking that the team can still improve in terms of performance by the first race in Melbourne.

When asked if the words of his driver were realistic, he said: « Yes, because we have not yet explored all the strengths of the car.

« It cannot be quantified in terms of tenths of a second, but the drivers feel comfortable in this single-seater, which I remind you is derived from the former Spyker. »

« And we are, quite obviously, only at the beginning of a phase to continually improve the car, » concluded Kolles.