Sahara Force India today revealed the livery of its Formula-One race car for the 2014 season. All of Force India chassis have always begun with ‘VJM’ and this 2014 car is no different, being christened VJM07. The new car introduces black alongside the classic saffron, white and green colours and gives us the first impression of how it will look when it will be officially presented at next week’s Jerez test session.
Talking about the new livery, team principal, Dr. Vijay Mallya said, “The VJM07 looks stunning and the new livery reflects the way Sahara Force India is evolving. I’ve always believed our cars have been the most eye-catching, but adding black as a main colour gives us a fierce new look.” The new paint scheme also introduces logos of several new commercial partners like Claro –a telecommunications brand, Roshfrans-lubricant oils specialists and Astana-a Kazakhtan-based foundation.
Besides the paint scheme, a lot has also changed beneath the skin due to the new regulations. Directing attention towards the technical changes, Technical Director, Andrew Green said, “Almost every single part is a new design, from the front wing right back to the diffuser. The genetics of the VJM07 still lie in the 2013 car, but we've had to achieve the same results in a slightly different way. It's been a massive job to accommodate all the changes to the power. Cooling has been the biggest challenge with most of last summer taken up trying to understand the cooling requirements of the power unit, and how best to optimise it in the chassis.”
Based in Silverstone, United Kingdom, the team was formed in October 2007 and currently holds an Indian licence. Originally called ‘Spyker’, the team was bought by a consortium led by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and Michiel Mol for EUR 90 million. In October 2011, Sahara India Pariwar purchased 42.5 per cent of Force India F1's shares for USD 100 million. For the 2014 season, Nico Hülkenberg has returned to the team, while Paul di Resta has been replaced by Sergio Pérez.
