From Midland to Spyker to Force India: it has been a blur since former team owner Eddie Jordan realised the game was up at the end of 2004.
Such regular changes of management were never likely to foster progress, and the Super Aguri team’s withdrawal at the start of 2008 left the new Force India team mired at the back for its debut season. Team boss Vijay Mallya certainly embraces Jordan’s philosophy of putting the fun back into Formula 1, but also has plenty of dollars to back it up.
Force India’s engine deal with Mercedes-Benz has certainly helped, with the squad causing a stir by finishing second in the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. But there still remain questions about Force India’s technical strength-in-depth and its ability to maintain a season-long charge. 2010 certainly started well, but by the end of the year the team were back to seventh in the constructors’ standings. 2011 is the season when Force India needs to prove that 2009 wasn’t a blip, merely the start of a long rise.
Nico HulkenbergPaul di Resta