Comments on: 2008: Force India

By: Raj

Raj — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:09:06 +0000

Hey, looking at testing in Barcelona, I am very sure that at least in the second half of the season, the team will be a serious challenger to all midfield teams like honda, williams etc…

By: TommyB

TommyB — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:20:06 +0000

Fissi always seems to be great in a crap car and bad in a great car I think Force India will do OK this year, i expect a few top 10 finishes

By: oliver

oliver — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:14:19 +0000

Honda is already giving SuperAguri last year’s paint scheme, if anything, it should really slow them down.

The guys at ForceInida, ex Jordan-Midland-Spiker, are really talented individuals. The assurance of funding allows them to come up with a plan on how to move themselves forward on the grid, rather than fighting small fires.

By: milos

milos — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:53:15 +0000

I was expecting from the moment Fisi got shipped out of Renault that Mallya will hire him. Smart move from his side and it looks like the combination of Mallya’s cash and Gascoyne + Fisichella experience is going to work.

Honda should pay up for Super Aguri, that looks like the only way for Honda to avoid being dead last on the grid …

By: Gman

Gman — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:42:07 +0000

I certainly hope Force India puts on a good showing in 2008- anything that evens out the playing field a bit is more than welcome. With an experienced guy like Fisi onboard, I believe some progress is possible. Still, with the car being an upgraded version of Spyker’s ride from last season, i’m wondering if either driver will have the tools to get any work done.

By: Sriram

Sriram — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:31:52 +0000

The numbers display perfectly in my comp, Keith. And regarding Force India, I reckon, by the end of the season, they’ll be ahead of a couple or more teams. You may want to check this out:http://rumblingv8.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/2008-predictions-part-1/

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:28:14 +0000

Yes I've got a problem with numbers following a $ sign - they won't format correctly. If anyone can help please let me know! Contact details here.

By: Alianora La Canta

Alianora La Canta — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:56:59 +0000

If Honda really is as bad as their test times suggest, they’ve probably got the last row locked down. Last year proved that Spyker/Force India can get the odd point when things get random because of their operational quality, so surely that will happen again. The only question then is whether Force India will get into Q2 – and I’m quietly confident that Fisi will, if not necessarily Sutil.

By the way, Keith, I think the figures you quoted “0m (£60.38m) to spend this year compared with m (£25.16m” should read $120m and $70m respectively.

By: Arnet

Arnet — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:18:08 +0000

Mallya is a very shrewd businessman, on a different level than Schnaider and Mol. He has also been involved in F1 for a few years, so he’s not new to the sport. I think a team spirit and character changes when they feel supported, and the cash injection will make huge difference. Gascoyne is one of the sharpest minds out there. Alonso’s winning Renault cars were the result of Mike’s efforts and Kolles seems to have weathered the ridicule that accompanied him when he first arrived and shown himself to be a bit of a political tactician, so it looks like Force India has real momentum now. Should make for great racing. In depth story on Mallya here:http://www.f1i.com/features.php?id=9155

As for Gascoyne and Toyota, it’s just another example of why they are not a winning team. They spend piles of money to lure him away from Renault, then wouldn’t let him run the team in the way that he proved is the right way to go. I don’t really have any confidence that Toyota will ever get it right. They should sell the team to Richards.

By: Michael Roberts

Michael Roberts — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:41:45 +0000

With Gascoyne running the show the team is always going to be making progress. I still don’t understand why Toyota didn’t give him full control of their aero department.