INDIA in F1

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  • Rajvirdhan emerges champ: Indian Touring cars

    CHENNAI, November 26: (JK Release) V Rajvirdhan (Prime Racing) claimed the drivers’ championship in the premier Indian Touring Cars class with a race to spare in the 14th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship in great style on Saturday, making light of the wet conditions to take the checkered flag for the fourth time in 11 starts this season.

    Diljith Shaji, an 18-year-old Thrishoor lad, emerged champion in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class with some careful driving although he finished outside the podium, even as last year’s champion B Balavijay and his MotoRev India teammate Gokul Krishna drove aggressively for a 1-2 finish ahead of HCZ Racing’s Feroze Khan.

    With Formula LGB Swift championship leader R Deepak spinning during the second lap and finishing outside the points, his Mars Racing team-mate Ameya Walavalkar opened up a seven-point lead by nursing his misfiring car to fourth place on Saturday. It sets the stage for a gripping finale on Sunday when the final race of the season will be run.

    Rajvirdhan, who started third in the race today and with a 48-point lead over N Leelakrishnan, caught the eye at the start when he passed last year’s champion Sidharth Kishore (Performance Racing) at the first corner, but conceded the second place to him at the next turn. He then played the waiting game for a couple of laps before he made another move.

    “I could sense over the first two laps that my car was able to make quick exits from the corners and I knew there would opportunities to overtake the leaders,” Rajvirdhan said. “After losing both races to Leelakrishnan in the penultimate round last month, I badly wanted to be able to beat him. I am happy I was able to do that

    “It feels great to be able to close out the championship with a victory,” Rajvirdhan said. “To be honest, I would have been okay to finish seventh or eighth and take the drivers’ championship but I knew I had a good, fast car and wanted to complete the season with victories. I enjoyed going past Sidharth and Leelakrishnan on the third lap and then had to just stay on the track.”

    Diljith, who started with a 40-point lead over Balavijay, ran the risk of spending time in the slush beyond the kerbs but chose to back off rather than get into a gripping duel with Gokulkrishna. “I knew I had to finish the race and be among the top five drivers to be able to seal the championship with one race to spare,” he said. “I am pleased with what our team and I have achieved.”

    Deepak admitted to not liking wet conditions and was crestfallen after finishing outside the points and conceding the championship lead to Walavalkar. “After a bad qualifying and starting 15th, I was going well and had gained a few places in the first two laps when I spun just before the hair-pin bend. It was real hard work after that and a 11th place finish is no consolation,” he said.

    Walavalkar had a good start and was able to pass K Prashant to be in second place for half the race before his car started misfiring. “I realized that there was no use fighting for a podium finish and losing all points. I was happy to be able to bring the car home,” he said. “I had no idea that Deepak was badly off and would not secure any points today.”

    Goa’s Avdumber Hede claimed pole position from championship leader Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) in the Polo R Cup with a good opening lap in qualifying this morning. Title contender Rahil Noorani (Mumbai) will start fourth behind Oshan Kothadiya (Pune).

    Saturday’s results (provisional):

    Formula LGB Swift (15 laps): 1. Chitesh Mandody (Meco Motorsports) 19:04.173; 2. Sarosh Hataria (Meco Motorsports) 19:09.668; 3. K Prashanth (TVS Girling) 19:14.361; 4. Ameya Walavalkar (Mars Racing) 19:15.159; 5. S Narendran (TVS Girling) 19:24.938; 6. Sandeep Kumar (TVS Girling) 19:24.938. Fastest lap: Chitesh Mandody 1:14.810.

    Indian Touring Cars (15 laps): 1. V Rajvirdhan (Prime Racing) 19:50.518; 2. N Leelakrishnan (Rad Racing) 20:08.170; 3. Sidharth Kishore (Performance Racing) 20:08.367; 4. B Vijayakumar (Prime Racing) 20:14.595; 5. D Vidya Prakash (Prime Racing) 20:16.627; 6. G D Rajkumar (Prime Racing) 20:24.670. Fastest lap: Rajvirdhan 1:17.665.

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (15 laps): 1. B Balavijay (MotoRev India) 20:27.924; 2. Gokul Krishna (MotoRev India) 20:33.766; 3. Feroze Khan (HCZ Racing) 20:38.279; 4. Diljith Shaji (LCT Sigaram Sports) 20:38.390; 5. M Gautham (Performance Racing) 20:39.524; 6. S Sreeram (LCT Sigaram Sports) 20:41.491. Fastest lap: Fahad Kutty 1:20.565.

  • Global Award for Buddh International Circuit

    Outshines 3 other racing facilities to win ‘Motorsport Facility of the Year’ award at the Professional Motorsport World Expo 2011, Germany

     

    New Delhi, 17 November 2011: (JayPee SI Release) Buddh International Circuit (BIC), which on October 30, 2011 hosted the first F1 Indian Grand Prix, has been awarded the ‘Motorsport Facility of the Year’ award at the Professional Motorsport World Expo 2011 Awards, held in Cologne, Germany. Boris Lazaric (COO – Construction, JPSI) collected the award on behalf of JPSI on November 15, 2011.

    The other contenders in the category were Baltimore Street Circuit, Mugello Circuit and Phoenix International Raceway but BIC emerged as a winner unanimously.

    Speaking on the occasion, Manoj Gaur, Chairman, JPSI said “This is a very proud moment for us and it feels great to be acknowledged for the hard work that made the inaugural Indian Grand Prix at BIC a resounding success. I would like to congratulate my team and dedicate this award to every member who worked tirelessly in making BIC a world class racing facility.”

    Gary Anderson, a member of the PMW Expo Awards judging panel added “Over the last 10 years we have seen many new Formula 1 circuits created around the world, most of these to an excellent standard as far as the overall facility is concerned but lacking imagination when it comes to the actual circuit design. Buddh International Circuit has gone the other way and created an excellent circuit layout, which the drivers, engineers and spectators love. With adequate facilities to put on a great event, it will mature into one of the best.”

    Professional MotorSport World Expo is central Europe’s leading trade-only motorsport exhibition. It is a meeting place for professionals to exchange technologies, innovations and ideas on how to drive the industry. Visitors are professionals from across the motorsport disciplines including: single-seater racing; saloon racing; drag racing; rallying; off-roading; historic motorsport; sports car racing; karting; and speed events.

    About Buddh International Circuit

    German architect and F1 race-circuit specialist Hermann Tilke designed the 5.14km long Buddh International Circuit (BIC) as one of the fastest, most exciting motor racing circuits in the world. It is well suited to the requirements of powerful, high-spec racing cars and motorcycles and will host some of the most challenging motorsports events on the planet. The track’s combination of 16 corners, high-speed straights and dramatic changes in elevation has been designed to provide ample opportunities for overtaking, which is what makes motor racing exciting. At the same time, in terms of adherence to safety norms and regulations, run-off areas, medical facilities, facilities for the media and overall infrastructure, BIC is among the best in the world.

    Buddh International Circuit:  fact sheet

    Length: 5.14km
    Turns: 16
    Highest point of elevation: 14m
    Width of the track:     Between 10m – 14m
    Top speeds on the circuit:     About 320km/h, for an F1 car
    Total seating capacity: About 100,000
    Distance from New Delhi: 40km approx.

    Jaypee Sports International Limited: About Us

    Established in October 2007, Jaypee Sports International Ltd., a subsidiary of Jaiprakash Associates Ltd. (JAL), has constructed India’s premier motorsports destination – Buddh International Circuit (BIC) – which hosted India’s first ever F1 Grand Prix on 30 October 2011. In addition to F1, the track is also expected to host other top-level international motorsports events.

    BIC will be a part of Jaypee Sports City, which is spread over 2,500 acres. This facility will include a Cricket stadium that is being developed in two phases and which will have a seating capacity of 100,000 people. There will also be a hockey arena, a sports training academy and infrastructure for other sports.

    Jaypee Sports City, the country’s first fully integrated megacity built around a sporting lifestyle and featuring premium residential and commercial spaces, has been designed by world-renowned architects and planners, WATG. One of the world’s leading design consultants for the hospitality, leisure and entertainment industries, WATG has made a significant contribution to making Jaypee Sports City the best of its kind anywhere in the world.

  • Max Chilton begins Young Driver testing for the Force!

    Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test, Day 1: Max Chilton gets behind the wheel
    Abu Dhabi: 15 Nov 2011: (Courtesy: Sahara Force India) Sahara Force India was back in action on Tuesday to kick off the first of three days of young driver testing at the Yas Marina circuit. On driving duty was 20-year-old Briton, Max Chilton, who completed a total of 81 laps in the VJM04, setting a best time of 1:43.016, the sixth fastest of the day.
    The focus of the day was acclimatisation work for Max who was driving the car for the first time on a Grand Prix circuit. The 2012 Pirelli development tyres were also used for a number of runs, while the team focussed on general data collection having added additional sensors to the car.
    Tomorrow, Johnny Cecotto Jr will get his first experience of a Formula One car before Max takes over for the final day of running on Thursday.
    Max Chilton: “I had been looking forward to this moment all my life and it definitely exceeded my expectations. The performance of the car is just amazing, especially the downforce and traction, which are mind-blowing. The design of these cars is incredible and it’s left me wanting much more. It’s scary how quick you can go through the high-speed corners, but the car is really well balanced and it feels very calm. The morning session flew by really quickly while I was getting used to the car and the systems, but in the afternoon things settled down and we managed to do some good testing. Working with such a big crew was also a new experience for me and it makes life so easy because there’s a person for every job and you can change things really quickly. I want to say thanks to the guys for a great day and I can’t wait to jump back in the car on Thursday.”
    Oliver Knighton, Race Support and Strategy Engineer
    “A positive first day of testing and I’m very pleased with the way Max integrated himself with the team. There were no mistakes, he was very consistent and he quickly got the hang of the control systems. The morning was spent acclimatising Max to the car and we also ran several test sensors to gather some more data with a view to Brazil next week and for 2012. In the afternoon we ran through a 2012 tyre programme, which has given us some interesting information for the rest of the week. We had a KERS issue in the afternoon, which took the edge off Max’s final lap time, but it was still a very good day.”

  • Force India gets six points to stay sixth

    Round 18 of 2011 Formula 1 World Championship at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, 13 Nov 2011:

    (By Special Correspondent)

    P8 Adrian Sutil, VJM04/04
    Tyre strategy: Used soft, new soft, new medium
     P9 Paul Di Resta, VJM04/02
    Tyre strategy: New medium, new soft

    It was a great race for Sahara Force India with Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta finishing eighth and ninth respectively even as Lewis Hamilton of McLaren provided an early birthday present to his mom with a brilliant win at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday. Hamilton got his third win of the season and seventh podium in the Formula One World Championship, this season as 2011 drivers’ champion and favourite Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull retired early with a puncture  as “he caught the exit kerb wrong with low tyre pressure that cut his right rear tyre”.

    As far as the teams and drivers are concerned, the only Indian presence on the race day for the 18th round of the 19-round F1 season was the Sahara Force India team. With both the Indian drivers Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok not on the starting grid, it was left to Force India to fight for honours and with a great startegy both the cars finished in points gaining valuable points to keep themselves in the sixth place in the constructors’ championship.

    Adrian Sutil, who started on 8th place was on soft tyres, which are a second faster per lap than the Dry tyres of Paul d’ Resta. As he did not start the Qualifier 3 on Saturday, Paul had the option to use either of the tyres and the team went with a single-stop strategy to come out successfully.

    In the 9th lap, even as Sutil was pushing Michael Schumaker, Paul di Resta was pressurised by Sebestian Buemi, who took eighth place but Di Resta regained the lost ground quickly in the next DRS zone and soon in the 14th lap Buemi once again used the first DRS zone to pass Paul, who however made it a short-lived joy for the Toro Rosso in the second DRS zone, but in the very next lap Paul made a mistake in Turn 11 but that did not prove costly as Buemi retired soon due to a loss of fluid from the hydraulic system. Paul di Resta went on till 28th lap for his first pit stop and his sustained run despite traction problems saw his finish in the 9th place for two valuable points with his single pit-stop strategy on medium dry tryes.

    Adrian Sutil, could not challenge Schumacher any further after the initial jaunt and was content in retaining his position after two pits to go steady for a well-deserved four points. Adrian: “Today’s result is great for the team and just what we needed. Initially we were planning to do a one-stop race, but the team took the decision to switch to a two-stop strategy because the soft tyre did not last as long as we thought it would. So it was a good call by the team to make the change. I spent a lot of the race fighting with Schumacher and managed to get ahead of him for the middle stint. But I probably went one lap too long in the middle stint and he got ahead of me when we were both on the medium tyre at the end of the race. I was close behind him, but we had similar pace and I couldn’t get back ahead. Still, we came here to pick up points with both cars, and that’s what we’ve done. It puts us in a very strong position for the final race.”

    With only the Brazil Grand Prix left in the season, Sahara Force India – Mercedes are well on course for the sixth position in the Constructors Championship with 57 points 15 points ahead of Sauber Ferrari on 42 who just managed to pip STR Ferrari by a point after Abu Dhabi. Adrian Sutil (10/11th) has 34 points, the same as fellow German Nick Hiedfeld while the young British driver Paul Di Resta has 23 points in the 14th place.

    Paul: “I think as a team we can be pleased to have come away with a double points finish having run different strategies with both cars. With hindsight my one-stop race was not the optimum strategy, but we felt it was worth a try. As it turned out the performance of the medium was not great to begin with so the first 30 laps were quite hard work. I had a good fight with Buemi in the early laps and I think we were quite lucky that he retired, which made my race a bit easier. When I switched to the softs the speed of the car was very strong. To do a one-stop race and come away with two points is as much as we could really hope for. It’s what we need for our fight in the championship and hopefully we can arrive in Brazil and carry on where we left off.”
     
    Dr. Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director
    “We came here determined to deliver a strong result and we’ve come away with six important points to consolidate our sixth place in the constructors’ championship. Both drivers drove faultless races, splitting the strategies and covering all the options. So I’m very pleased with our performance as a team, which puts us in a much stronger position with 15 points advantage over our nearest competitor. I feel confident that we can go to Brazil to finish the job and confirm our sixth place in the championship.”

  • Force India qualify in P9 and P10 and hope to get into points

    Force India car Sat Abu Dhabi qualifiersAbu Dhabi: (Force India Release) 12 Nov 2011: Sahara Force India delivered on the promise shown in practice as Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta qualified in ninth and tenth places respectively for tomorrow’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. For the record, Sebastian Vettel once again proved a tough nut to crack and took the pole position and also equalled a record for pole positions.
     P9  Adrian Sutil (VJM04/04)
    Q1: 1:40.595
    Q2: 1:40.205
    Q3: 1:40.768
     Adrian: “I’m happy with ninth place today and it was a good session for me. In Q3 we waited a bit longer than planned because we wanted to wait and see what Mercedes did. In the end they decided to go out so I also went out and I did a timed lap. The lap was a little bit compromised because I didn’t get the tyres fully up to temperature, so maybe I could have been a bit higher up. Still, I don’t think we can complain too much because P9 is a fair reflection of our pace at the moment.”
     P10 Paul Di Resta (VJM04/02)
    Q1: 1:41.604
    Q2: 1:40.414
    Q3: No time
     Paul: “Getting two cars in the top ten was the objective today and that’s what we achieved. We made some good progress this morning perfecting the set-up and I was happy with the car in qualifying. Q1 and Q2 went well and we got the job done by getting in the top ten. Our approach to Q3 was to give us the optimum strategy for tomorrow. For the race we are definitely hoping for points because our focus is to maintain our sixth place in the championship. I’m really looking forward to this race because the place looks spectacular at night. It’s also nice to drive in twilight conditions when it’s a bit cooler.”
     Dr. Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director
    “I’m very pleased with our performance today and with both Sahara Force India cars starting from the fifth row of the grid we are in good shape for tomorrow. It will be an interesting race because we have seen that the tyre degradation here is not that severe, which means we need to think long and hard about how we will use the strategy. With just two races to go we are not underestimating how important it is to score points here to strengthen our grasp on sixth place in the constructors’ championship. I believe we have the speed to do so, but as I’ve said before you never know until it’s in the bag.” 
    Meanwhile, The Sauber F1 Team drivers, Sergio Pérez and Kamui Kobayashi, have qualified 11th and 16th  respectively for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship. Both drivers did their fastest lap times in Q2 on a set of soft tyres they had used before in Q1. When they put on fresh soft tyres in Q2, both drivers struggled to get them to work and therefore neither of them was able to improve, added a Sauber Press Release.

  • 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Sahara Force India Free Practice Report – Nov11

    Force India Press Release on Friday
    Free practice objectives: 
    FP1: Co-ordinated aero tests on both cars, wing level evaluation
    FP2: Tyre data collection and continued race set-up
     Adrian Sutil (VJM04/04)
    FP1: P7 1.41.340 23 laps
    FP2: P8 1:40.951 34 laps  
     Adrian: “The track had very low grip to begin with, but we found quite a good baseline starting point with the car right away. The main focus was on improving the traction out of the low-speed corners because that’s what this circuit is all about. We also worked a lot on finding the optimum wing levels and seem to have found a good solution so far. As for the tyres, we did most of the work in the second session to simulate the conditions we will get on Sunday evening. Both tyres seem to be performing well with quite low degradation.”
     Paul Di Resta (VJM04/02)
    FP1: P9 1:42.151 28 laps
    FP2: P9 1:41.021 37 laps 
     Paul: “I think looking at where we’ve ended up we should be pretty happy with today’s work. In the first session I was struggling with rear grip and it wasn’t easy to lean on the car. There was also quite a lot of front locking. But in the second session we started to get on top of those issues and got quite close to a decent set-up. I think we can still make some steps tomorrow and look to find more low-speed stability, but overall we’re not in bad shape.”
     Dominic Harlow, Circuit Engineering Director
    “We carried out some co-ordinated aero tests on both cars during FP1 and of course looked at wing level for the race. There was also some set-up work as usual. FP2 was more about the tyres and race set-up as the temperature and track conditions reflect more closely the twilight timing of this race. Also available to us, and useful for our programmes, were two sets of a development soft tyre from Pirelli which looked positive.”

  • Emotional Vijay Mallya reflects on Historic Airtel Indian GP

    2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview
     
    Vijay’s vision
    Team Principal and Managing Director, Dr. Vijay Mallya, reflects on an emotional Indian Grand Prix and looks forward to the penultimate race of the year. (Text and pictures: Force India Release)
    The Indian Grand Prix weekend was obviously a huge one for you personally. How would you sum it up?
    It was outstanding. It was emotional and there was a great sense of pride. It was a dream come true. When Force India became the first and only Indian team on the grid in 2008, it was a great moment for me too, but even at that time I really didn’t think that India would ever host a Grand Prix. It couldn’t be better, it was like the confluence of two dreams: owning an F1 team and racing on home turf. The icing on the cake was at least getting one car into the top ten and into the points.
    Were you impressed with the track itself?
    The drivers, and not just ours, have said that it is perhaps one of the best tracks in the world. It’s got all the infrastructure and facilities you need. People may complain that the level of finish needs more attention, but that’s because they completed it in a bit of a hurry. But otherwise the basics are there.
    And what about the team’s performance?
    Adrian did a superb job: he kept his head and drove really well. He made sure he didn’t give up ninth place. With Paul we knew exactly what we were doing, starting on the hard tyre and bringing him in early. Had there been a safety car, Paul’s eventual race result might have been vastly different. But we had to take the gamble – no guts, no glory, I guess! Overall I’m quite happy with our performance and I don’t think there’s any reason why we should not feel proud of what we have done.
    At this stage of the season points are precious in terms of the constructors’ championship…
    Formula One becomes more and more competitive with each passing day. Toro Rosso has clearly made a huge step since Japan. We’ve also made a bit of a step with the upgrades we brought to India. But at the end of the day you never know until the last race is over. We found that out painfully last year when Williams pipped us by one point, but now I think we’re comfortably in sixth position, ahead of Toro Rosso as well as Sauber. But it’s never done until it’s done.
    The other big news in India was the announcement of your One from a Billion winner. How satisfying is it to be promoting Indian talent?
    It is huge. Everybody has been quite critical of me, particularly in India, as to why I don’t have an Indian driver in the car. They’re trying to force comments out of me on the two Indian drivers that we currently have and I’m not going to fall into that trap. All I know is what’s good for my team and that’s what I’ve been doing. But I’ve often said that amongst 1.2 billion people there’s got to be a Lewis Hamilton somewhere. We found three exceptionally talented kids, all 14 or under.
    In India you indicated that you will make a decision on the drivers for 2012 sooner rather than later. Can you update us on that?
    All the drivers have asked me to make an early decision, and I respect that. I have a big decision to make! But it’s not made yet – I’m not the type of guy who’s going to make a decision and string people along. When I decide I will just tell them the way it is and that’s it.
    Any thoughts on the rest of the season?
    Only two races to go! We hope to do well in Abu Dhabi, particularly because we think the car is suited to the track. Let’s see.
    Adrian on Abu Dhabi
    Adrian Sutil savours his points finish in Delhi and gets set for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
    Adrian, how satisfying was it to get some points in Sahara Force India’s home race?
    It felt really good and I think that was the maximum for us. I just lost out to the Toro Rossos because they were faster on the day. But I was happier with the balance than in Korea, so it’s clear that we made a little step with the car. Ninth position was two very important points so it was a good weekend.
    It was a very busy week for you and the whole team – did you enjoy having all that attention?
    It was very nice in the drivers’ parade, I could see all the people in the stands and they were really cheering for us a lot. It was a very special crowd, very unique. I haven’t seen so many fans for us at any other circuit. It’s definitely something I will remember.
    What are your thoughts ahead of the Abu Dhabi race?
    It was a difficult race for us last year, but I think this year it should be much better. There are long straights and hairpins, and it’s a track where low-speed corner performance counts. That should suit our car so I think we’ll be okay.
    Paul on Abu Dhabi
    Paul Di Resta looks forward to his first race at Yas Marina.
     
    Paul, let’s look back on the Indian Grand Prix – a gamble on the strategy didn’t go your way, but a good result for the team…
    We always knew that we were going extremely aggressive with the strategy. It was a decision to cover our bases. We took this route based on the tyre data from Friday, but the conditions in the race turned out to be quite different. Sometimes it works for you and other times you have to take it on the chin. Other than that the speed in the race was strong. The big picture is our position in the constructors’ championship so it was important that Adrian picked up the points. We said all along that the fight for sixth place would go down to the wire and we need to continue delivering in the next two races.
     
    Abu Dhabi won’t be a totally new experience for you, but you’ve yet to race there…
    I did half a day at the young driver test and then a full day for the Pirelli tyre test last year. So I’ve learned the layout and have a feel for the place. Before we get there I’ll have another half day in the simulator to get back up to speed.
     
    What were your impressions of the track last year?
    It’s a very technical circuit with a lot of tight, low-speed corners and you need to be very precise with the car. There’s very little high-speed stuff, apart from the esses after turn one, but they are taken pretty much flat anyway. There are definitely some similarities with Singapore so that’s a reason to be optimistic because the lack of high-speed corners seems to suit our package. As ever, we have to see how the teams around us perform.

  • Adrian gets valuable points in 9th place, Paul misses again

    2011 Indian Grand Prix Race Report – 30 October
     Sahara Force India finished in the points in the team’s home race as Adrian Sutil raced hard to a well-earned ninth place finish. Team-mate Paul Di Resta tried an aggressive strategy and came home in P13.
    P9 Adrian Sutil, VJM04/04
    Tyre strategy: Used soft, new soft, new hard
    Adrian: “It was quite a good race and I think we can be happy with the two points today. In the early laps I struggled with the rear of the car, with a bit of oversteer, and could not hold off the Toro Rossos who were a bit quicker today. But in the second and third stint the car balance improved and I was able to keep the Sauber [Perez] behind me in the closing laps. We were also fortunate that Buemi retired, which gave me another position. I think ninth was probably the maximum today and I hope Vijay will have a smile on his face tonight.”
    P13 Paul Di Resta, VJM04/02
    Tyre strategy: New hard, used soft, used soft, new soft.
    Paul: “We went for a fairly aggressive strategy today – starting on the hard tyre – and it was always the plan to come in early with the hope of a safety car. It was a gamble to get rid of the hard tyre early on, and if it had worked we would have gained a pit stop and done the race on three sets of softs, which was the quickest way. We had to do three stops because of the tyre wear, which was quite high to begin with, but got better later in the race. It’s good that Adrian has picked up a couple of points, which are valuable for the championship, and that was the reason why we split the strategies.”
    Dr. Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director
    “Today’s Indian Grand Prix was a great event and I hope that all the fans enjoyed the day as much as I did. We targeted points and that’s exactly what we delivered with Adrian’s excellent drive to ninth. As for Paul, he performed well, but we went very aggressive with the strategy to cover the chance of a safety car. In the end it didn’t work out, but we needed to cover our bases. These two points are important for our championship battle and I’m delighted that Sahara Force India will go down in the record books for scoring points in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix.”
    “Regarding my decision about the 2012 drivers, I have said this week that I will give an answer to the drivers before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. I already have three excellent drivers, who are all in the running, and the decision ahead will not be an easy one.”
    end/Credit: Force India Release

  • Sutil in strong 8th place for Force; Narain 22nd for HRT

    Greater Noida (Near New Delhi), 29 Oct 2011:

    Sahara Force India delivered a strong performance at Buddh International Circuit today as Adrian Sutil qualified in eighth place for Sunday’s Inaugural Airtel Grand Prix of India, the 17th Formula One race of the 2011 season. Force’s second driver Paul Di Resta will start from P12 onn the grid. Abu Dhabi and Brazil will be the last two races in the season.

    Meanwhile, the only Indian on the grid at the Airtel Indian GP, Narain Karthikeyan came out with his best for the home race to avoid the wooden spoon. He however, qualified, behind his Hispania teammate at P 22. Narain Karthikeyan (22nd, Q1 – 1m 30.238s) said: “We got the potential out of the car and beat both of the Virgins and I am proud of it. I was up on my teammate but made a small mistake. Nevertheless, I’m very happy with the way I drove and the position I achieved. I think this was the maximum that we could get and the team did a fantastic job to get us ahead of Virgin. It’s a fantastic sensation racing in front of my home crowd and for tomorrow I am aiming to finish in the best position possible.”  (HRT  Release)

    P8  Adrian Sutil (VJM04/04)

    Q1: 1:26.271
    Q2  1:26.140
    Q3: No time

    Adrian: “We’ve been saying all week that this is a special race for us so I’m very happy with today’s qualifying performance. We are so determined to do well here and today’s result is the first step towards that. P8 is one of my best qualifying results of the season and I think it was the maximum we could achieve from the session. The balance of the car was excellent and I really enjoy this circuit, which seems to suit my driving style. But tomorrow is the important day and now we have to think hard about the strategy we will run. I feel very comfortable with the car and I think we will be more competitive than we were in Korea.”

    P13* Paul Di Resta (VJM04/02)

    Q1: 1:26.864
    Q2: 1:26.503

    Paul: “Starting P12 is a bit disappointing really, because we looked quite strong this morning. But I struggled with a bit of understeer in the high-speed corners and we couldn’t fix it during the session. I think the conditions cooled a little bit, which maybe didn’t help us because I couldn’t get the balance quite where I wanted it. I feel that points are still achievable tomorrow and we seem quite strong on the longer runs. There’s a hard task ahead, but I will stay focussed and try to do the best job possible in the team’s home race.”will start from P12 following grid penalities.

    Dr. Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director
    “Another excellent day of track action at Buddh International Circuit and I’m delighted to see a Sahara Force India starting the very first Indian Grand Prix from the fourth row of the grid. The whole team has worked very hard to bring our final upgrade package here this weekend and I think that showed in our performance today. Adrian clearly loves this circuit and was on top form this afternoon. Paul has also been very strong, but unfortunately he lost the sweet spot he had with the car this morning and missed out on making Q3. Still, we know we have a strong car for tomorrow and I’m hopeful both drivers can be in the hunt for points. It’s our home race and I hope all the fans will get behind Sahara Force India in what will be a spetacular and historic moment for India.”

    Credit: Sahara Force India Release

     


  • Arjun Maini, Tarun Reddy, Jehan Daruvala win the `1 from a Billion Hunt’

    Delhi, 28 Oct 2011: After hosting the regional rounds of the `One From A Billion’ Hunt spanning seven cities, the Sahara Force India Formula One Team Academy has finally chosen the three winners from thousands of applicants during the final round of the Hunt recently held at Silverstone.

     

    Arjun Maini (14 year old) from Bangalore was chosen as the winner of the Sahara Force India Formula One Team Academy’s One From A Billion Hunt. The first runner up was Tarun Reddy (14) from Chennai with the second runner up being Jehan Daruvala (13) from Mumbai. While Arjun Maini and Tarun Reddy qualified from the Bangalore and Chennai regional rounds of the One From A Billion Hunt, Jehan Daruvala qualified through the Wild Card Entry Round that was held in Hyderabad.

    At the end of the intensive hands-on week, an expert panel consisting of Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal, Sahara Force India Formula One, Eddie Jordan, F1 Expert and Commentator of BBC, Anthony Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg, Test and reserve driver, Sahara Force India Team, evaluated and picked the three winners on the basis of a holistic assessment of their multiple capabilities and proficiency in requisite areas.

    The winners were chosen from the ten national finalists selected during the National Finals held in Goa. The ten finalists went on to do a week-long intensive stint at Silverstone, UK comprising sessions of driver tuition on Dmax Karts, a day at the Porsche Human Performance Centre to assess and develop fitness for motorsports and media training with Goodman Media. The ten selected drivers completed their Silverstone experience with a race in Senior Dmax karts at the Daytona Kart Circuit, Milton Keynes.

    “The top three were very close in the race for the championship and I have decided that all three would be sent to Europe for a comprehensive Driver Development Programme. The decision to be taken in consultation with their parents will ensure their education, lodging and training by Sahara Force India.” added Dr. Mallya.

    Arjun Maini, Tarun Reddy and Jehan Daravala, will receive a fully funded European based driver development programme preparing them to become Formula One drivers. They will commence their journey to becoming a Formula 1 driver with a go-karting programme in Europe. They will then advance to appropriate single-seater formula series before progressing to GP3 and GP2 and then F1.

    Bollywood connection

    The Sahara Force India Formula One Team, hosted a very special guest at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. Present at the Sahara Force India Formula One Team garage and showing his support for the team was none other than Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan. Present along with Mr. Khan was

    Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director, and Subrata Roy Sahara, Chairman of Sahara Force India Formula One Team

    (Note: Retrieved from old website articles in Oct 2019)