Force India reveal first picture of VJM07

2014 F1 cars

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Force India have become the first team to reveal an image of their 2014 F1 contender.

The VJM07 was shown for the first time by the team on social media.

“I always enjoy seeing a Formula 1 car come to life, but I can’t remember so much anticipation ahead of a new season,” said managing director Vijay Mallya.

“The rule changes have presented us with a huge challenge, but I’m very proud of the approach we have taken and the direction of the technical team. It will be fascinating to see how different teams have interpreted the rules and at this stage it’s impossible to predict who has done the best job.

“It’s this uncertainty that should make for a very entertaining season of racing, which is great news for the fans.”

One of the first noticeable changes on the new car is a revised colour scheme. “The new car livery reflects the way Sahara Force India is evolving.”

“I’ve always believed the saffron, white and green livery has made our cars the most eye-catching, but adding black as a main colour gives us a fierce new look.”

“The national colours of India remain an integral part of the car, but the tiger has become a panther! As we enter our seventh season with new partnerships and new names on the car, our contemporary new look helps signal our ambition.”

The new car is the first to benefit from Force India’s expanded agreement with Mercedes which includes its 1.6-litre V6 turbo engine, energy recovery systems and eight-speed gearbox. Force India confirmed the car uses pull-rod suspension at the rear and pushrods at the front.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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107 comments on “Force India reveal first picture of VJM07”

  1. A new livery for Force India? I thought it would never happen..

    Anyway, the livery looks good, I’m going to keep quiet about the car until we get a better view of the nose.

    1. As its a ‘shopped image anyway, there is not much we can really say about the car itself, although the livery certainly looks more menacing than what they had last years (I would like a bit more green maybe, but less white is certainly an improvement) @andeae23

    2. @andae23 I too thought they would not deviate much from their standard tricolor livery this year. I am caught by surprise!

      1. Great livery.

        1. Totally agree, great livery.

          1. Yep really like this livery.

          2. agree 100% love the black additions, i feel most livery’s would benefit greatly from adding a little black here and there

    3. @andae23 The livery looks fine, I actually quite like it (although they might want to have a white version at hand in the deserts and such). I think what we see of the nose is .. it could be very ugly from other angles. It does look like it is a rather regular high nose with some kind of vertical board in it sticking in it protruding to hold the front wing. We’ll see soon.

      1. @bananarama “although they might want to have a white version at hand in the deserts and such” … I doubt it.. Teams must run their two cars with essentially the same race livery throughout the season and must seek prior approval for any major changes, can’t see the point in doing.

    4. @andae23 same. From the side it looks nice, but that nosecone it’s never gonna be pretty… It’s such a shame, I loved the low nosecones of the late 80’s, early 90s.

      This shape, from the side, defines F1 cars. That’s how I used to draw them as a kid… kinda like the 1994 Williams or 1990 Ferrari. Sad the front will inevitably look hideous.

      1. Some early high-nose designs looked nice too – the Benettons, the 1994 Ferrari.

        I think what makes modern F1 cars really ugly is the fact they are narrow and long, and with smaller tires. Then the aero elements got very out-of-proportion.

    5. Very distinctive livery, well done FI.

    6. @andae23 one can notice the nose is at least “filled”, not as flaccid as some previous fan designs. I am pretty excited, it looks incredibly good :) (added to the line-up they have :))

  2. Well that was… Unexpected…

    Unsure what to make of the black though…

    1. I’m not, it looks unreal.

      Never been much of a fan of FI but this year with the two ‘unwanted’ talents in the car, I’ll be cheering them on. I think they’ll do very well.

      1. You’re not, what?

    2. I love the black but the Claro position looks out of place…

      1. exactly! i hate the placement, but above all the fact that is RED!!!!! it should have been white, green or zaffron, or somewhere else, black…

  3. I like the livery. Not giving much away about the nose unfortunately, but in profile I do like it (aside from the gawky airbox).

    1. With a turbo, it probably doesn’t even need an airbox any more. But there’s a stupid rule, and it might sell some beer and plane tickets.
      Nice surprise, they needed a change, and it’s better than their shirts.

      1. @bullfrog they probably do actually – it never used to be the case but the ERS have placed very high demands on cooling, so I imagine it’ll still be integrated as part of the cooling for the engine (in fact, I think Renault’s release pictures confirm this).

  4. When I first saw that I thought it looked messy. Now I look at it again and I really like their new livery. Cant wait to see Hulkenberg and Perez behind the wheel!

    1. @robocat IT’S SPECTACULAR!!! LOVE IT!!!

  5. The black certainly contrasts well with the existing green/orange. Really didn’t expect them to change from the white, it doesn’t look to shabby!

    1. It does appear that the car also has the Wulrus style nose.

      1. Difficult to tell from that angle.. It could well be a nose with a narrow and low middle section, but tapered smoothly into the higher portion of the nose/crash structure/monocoque. (Not sure what to call the nose type I have explained)

        1. Yes I know what you mean, but I used Walrus to imply the front wing pylons extend much further ahead of the nose. It doesn’t however mean the walrus isn’t sticking its tongue out.

      2. Jack (@jackisthestig)
        22nd January 2014, 21:08

        The old Williams ‘Walrus Nose’ sprung to mind at first, but at closer look the white and black sections of what at first appeared to be a single long pylon are actually separate objects. The nose and pylons appear to be entirely white (most closely resembling the 2013 Ferrari) while the black section appears to be the uurrm… phallic object sprouting out of the middle of the nose, just like Craig Scarbrough predicted.

        Notice the shading on the black dangly part, the radius on the tip of the white nose and the small chink of light above the C of Challenge on the end plate of the front wing.

  6. Well that looks ok. Judgement reserved until we get a head on or front three-quarter view!

    1. On a second look, there are two things that bug me. 1 The Claro logo looks like it was included as an afterthought, I would have pushed it closer to the back of the engine cover and straightened it up. 2 I don’t understand why the “Sahara Force India” logo on the sidepod is at an angle, it looks silly.

      Interesting too that Green said the nose is a “banker” and that there are more aggressive interpretations to come later in testing and for the first race.

      1. @geemac

        1 The Claro logo looks like it was included as an afterthought, I would have pushed it closer to the back of the engine cover and straightened it up.

        It was an afterthought! I zoomed and looked at the pic and it seems that the logo was pasted over the picture. Check it out.

        1. @1abe you right its looks like a Claro logo is photoshopped on that car

          1. Well spotted folks.

      2. Whatever, it is obviously eye-catching which is the whole point.

  7. I really like the black in the livery. Imo the car looks nice from side profile. Looks like it has a phallus nose though, not sure I want to see it from the front!

  8. Great livery, definitely better than the old one.

  9. Wow, that actually looks very good. Love the fact that most of the white has been replaced with black.
    It looks like the green is also a little lighter.
    Me like!!

  10. looks awesome… i hope hulk will kick ass in this :)

    1. specially perez’s!!!!!

  11. Mikkel Sørensen (@)
    22nd January 2014, 9:09

    I think it looks awesome!

  12. My god that’s ugly!

    1. Really? I think the livery looks epic! The black fits really well.

    2. May be you do not like them.. :) for everyone else, they do like the livery if not the team.

  13. They might have overdone it a bit, but still, it’s better than having the old, dreary one from last year. At least they came up with something new. Black, white, orange and green with sponsor decals splashed with red and blue looks like the job of an 8-year-old.

  14. Looks Fantastic. its always nice to see a team change their colours at least once in a while instead of using the same colours over and over again.

    1. @animalkhan, yeah what’s up with that. Ferrari should go for green by now or so… :)

      1. well maybe except ferrari… but even they changed their colours to a darker shade of red a few years ago.

  15. Nice livery! No matter what the cars look like we will get used to them. Doesn’t look too bad though, from the side anyway.

  16. not livery related but this is the year for FI to make an impression on the top teams, that’s a lot of talent, best lineup they’ve ever had. Considering the days of Fisi and Sutil are probably the second best lineup. I expect big things from them this year. A couple of podiums, consistently in Q3 and maybe even a run at P4 in the constructors.

    1. I’ll be happy if they get ONE Podium.

      That spot has eluded them for quite some while!

  17. Love it !!! what a great look.
    Is that a big fat walrus type nose there?

  18. and it should be easy coupling the Mallya money with that good Carlos Slim/Checo Telmex/Claro dinero.

  19. Well, I have to say I do quite like that. Nice little shake up of the livery.

  20. First unveil – Nice surprise.

    Need to see other angles of the nose before judging, the colours look nice though.

  21. best looking car we’ve had in F1 for a while!

  22. Surprisingly nice design. I’ve always disliked the liveries of Force India almost as much as the uninspired name, but this is definitely a big step in the right direction.

  23. Awesome! Was never really a fan of FI, but switching this year because of the line up. This new livery certainly helps. I’m onboard!
    Wonder how the ugly shirt fits in with this though.

    1. @meander I do hope that that ugly shirt Checo has been spotted with isn’t the actual team wear for this year. Fingers crossed.

  24. Certainly got my attention, and will definitely stand out in the races, expect to see that car plastered in the papers and mags as the car off F1. May just attract some new viewers too.

  25. Hell! That looks amazing! Wasn’t expecting this!

  26. Fantastic, I always wanted to see a new look for FI. I think they got a great one. And looks like they got a handful of new sponsers too. And As per Green the nose currently has is launch specific, and they will chnage it when they are ready to test that feature. Any way good luck for the team, and with a great lineup they can achieve some great results.

  27. Can’t really see but looks like the awful step has gone in favour of a slope, huge improvement for me. Like the livery loads – looks more mean and competitive. Let’s hope it lives up to that on the track.

  28. Taking black as a base color is nice especially considering the fact that it looks very sharp with green and orange but the design seems like the green and orange has been accidentally splashed.

    Looks SHABBY!

  29. Man this team just keeps geeting better. I love it!

  30. It kinda looks like the illegitimate child of last year’s Sauber and Force India liveries.

    That being said, I’m glad they added black, not red.

    1. That’s what I thought!! A Sauber – Force India

      1. A Saurce Bindia?

  31. I to be honest was expecting a slight modification in SFI’s livery incorporating blue to capture all the colours of the Indian flag. But, I was taken by surprise when I saw the new livery! I would have preferred them to replace white with saffron or green at the nose. Other than this I am pretty impressed by the new paint scheme of Force India.

    What about the nose? It looks low from the side profile, but I do hope it isn’t the walrus nose from the front. But I am quite happy that it did not end up like the anteater nose as projected by other forums and websites.

    1. @seahorse

      I am quite happy that it did not end up like the anteater nose as projected by other forums and websites.

      I wouldn’t rule out that possibility based on this image.

      1. I think you are right @keithcollantine. On looking closely, the nose is much closer to the anteater style and perhaps the black shade at the front could have been used to hide the ugliness, who knows!

        1. It could very well be that the white is what’s holding the wing while the black is really the anteater nose tip – but it’s impossible to say, really. According to the rumors; some but not not all teams will sport the anteater nose.

  32. One thing you can notice is that the chassis is very high compared to what we knew from the new rules. I think there’ll be a step on the nose (like someone already suggested) to stay within the limits that is strategically hidden by the front tyre in this side image…anyone agree?

  33. the nose profile seems like it will look strange when viewed from the front. Regardless, cool livery

  34. Where do the numbers go?
    Looks like they’re still gonna be way too small.

  35. I thing that looks great, certainly an improvement on last year and hopefully a bit quicker as well!!

  36. Looks great. Not as bad as I suspected the cars would look this year, from this angle at least.
    Very nice livery too.

  37. Like the livery. Nice change and the black seems to make it appear more aggressive. Will have to wait to see the nose to see how they designed that and then have an opinion on it.

  38. Absolutly love it, great looking car!

  39. That’s a nice livery – it seems to work well with the orange, but not too much is given away regarding the nose. I notice Claro is on the car but not Telmex but they could still be on it when we get a better view or at a later date.

  40. love the livery, certainly reminds us of the 80s-90s colorful cars(bennetton-jordan-larrousse lamborghini).

  41. Looks to me a bit like a 2002 Minardi PS02, only cleaner and sharper. Looking like a Minardi, by the way, is only a good thing in my book. Force India is slowly winning me over, I hope this is a good year for them.

  42. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    22nd January 2014, 12:11

    That is an awesome livery! The black really helps make it look more… Badass.

  43. It looks menacing , it’s got attitude , it’s devilish and it’s force india . I love it ! Period

  44. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    22nd January 2014, 12:45

    Great change in colors!

  45. It’s really really cool.

  46. Looks lovely. And all this after being told to expect some ugly cars.

  47. I’m thankful that the body looks quite nice.

    The livery is a fresh new style, but i’ve never been much of a fan of Force India’s liveries so it is no surprise it still does not impress me.

  48. Great job on the livery! And from a side profile it still looks sleek. Now if they’ll just show us that nose from the front! :)

  49. I am very excited for the new F1 season. I quite like the livery.

  50. I should probably wipe the drool from off of my desk soon.

  51. Thats one heck of a livery!!! Lovely job FI..

  52. Lose one whisky sponsor, get a new one straight away… must be a waiting list.

  53. I know a lot of people are apprehensive about the noses, but at least it looks like a real racing car when seen in profile.

  54. Great livery. Better than any 2013 livery in my opinion.

  55. This looks 20 times better than last years car. I fully expect a lot of teams will drastically change their liveries this year, with it being such a massive overhaul of the regs and so on. FI also have such a good driver pairing this year, I really hope the car is as good as it looks. But I still hope Williams beat them :)

  56. There is an article on toilef1 site which tries to deduce the frontal look of the force india, give it a look :)

  57. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
    22nd January 2014, 20:24

    So their nose will pretty much look exactly like what was predicted.

    http://images.autosport.com/editorial/1384270378.jpg

  58. Guys, I was looking this new livery, and a certain FW26 came into my mind…
    Check the side view here.

    In 2004, I was 15 years old and I liked very much this “crazy Williams nose”, but it doesn’t made good results on track, so the team redesigned the front for Hungaroring, making an more traditional nose.
    What do you think about it? Does the side view of the VJM07 remember the FW26, or am I crazy?

  59. Interesting livery from FI. Now, it is Saubers turn to change that boring livery that they had for 4 years. It is a team from SWISS.. they can do a lot with their red and white color theme…. Grey is so dull

  60. Holy hell, that is the nicest livery I’ve seen in a while. I hope they aren’t like Williams (I think?) who have nice liveries in pre season testing then revert to something less nice for the season.

  61. It’s a very nice car!

  62. beautiful car, though there is a lack of nose in this picture, hopefully they’re not trying to hide something

  63. I think it’s going to end up looking like a Tyrrell from ’97:

    http://didier.andlauer.free.fr/F1/dossiers_f1/inventions/Tyrrell_1997_4.JPG

  64. I thought “double” airboxes were banned?
    And it looks like a render to me, with the Claro logo flat on a bulky surface and the wheels with no depth. It looks like the drawing the livery’s designer used to show his idea off.

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