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[Blwe_torch]

Fisichella set to drive for Force India

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella is set to drive for the Force India Formula One team this season with compatriot Vitantonio Liuzzi taking the role of tester, sources said on Tuesday.

There was no official confirmation from the Ferrari-powered team, who are due to announce their 2008 driver line-up in Mumbai on Thursday.

Germany's Adrian Sutil, a rookie last year with the Spyker team that Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya [Images] bought and renamed, has already been confirmed as one driver while Fisichella impressed at a test in Spain last month.

The Roman, who will be 35 on Jan 14, has been without a drive since his contract with former champions Renault expired at the end of last year.

Liuzzi raced for Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso in 2007 but has been replaced there by France's [Images] four-times ChampCar champion Sebastien Bourdais.
 
http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/jan/08fi.htm

Viva Vijay Mallya!

[Blwe_torch]

Seriously, we must take a keener interest in Formula One this season........thanks to Force India!

[Blwe_torch]

Fisichella ready for Force India
 
 Tejas Mehta

Thursday, January 10, 2008 (Mumbai)
It's been a historic day on Thursday for motoring in India. First one of the cheapest cars in the history of the motor industry made its debut and then, the first formula one team to wear Indian colours was officially launched.

Force India F1, the team that hopes to put India on the formula one map, has announced its line up and Vijay Mallya, the co-owner of the team has promised a lot of good times ahead for Indian motor racing.

The 34-year-old Giancarlo Fisichella, a former Renault driver, has raced with Jordan, Benetton and Sauber in the past while 24-year-old German was with the Spyker team prior to the takeover by the Indian liquor baron Vijay Mallaya.

The Italian will be the first driver for Force India, and will be joined by German driver Adrian Sutil.

Another Italian Vitantonio Luizzi has been named as the test driver.

Despite of this international mix, the focus was quite clearly on the teams' Indian connection.

Vijay Mallya, Co-owner, Force India F1 said that I am proud that we have managed to put an Indian coloured car on the Formula 1 Grid in 2008. Along with the prospect of India hosting it's first grand prix in 2010, we're hoping to put the team on the podium.

These drivers will have quite a task ahead of them though. It's no secret that Force India won't be the richest team on the grid in 2008. Its budget of $120 million is only slightly more than the $100 million that McLaren paid as fine in the espionage case last year. What's interesting about those numbers is that the amount was little more than a dent in McLaren's bank. Yet Mallya believes that his team, can only improve, performance wise as well as financially.

"Last year Spyker had a budget of $70 million, this year we've increased that to $120 million," Mallya said

While Shah Rukh Khan has featured in some of promotional videos for Force India, the team will soon be launching a campaign to rope in fans and create some buzz for India's first racing team. But what will really help the popularity of formula one and more specifically Force India to accelerate up the charts will be an Indian Grand Prix, scheduled in 2010.

"We're hopeful that the Indian Grand Prix will happen by 2010. I'm in contact with Suresh Kalmadi, and the IOC is keen. Even if they can't deliver, someone else must. We must have a Grand Prix by 2010," Mallya said.
 
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/showsports.aspx?id=SPOEN20080038262&ch=1/10/2008%2011:07:00%20PM

[Blwe_torch]

Mallya cautions India to keep feet on the ground
January 11, 2008 17:10 IST

Force India Formula One team co-owner Vijay Mallya [Images] has warned the country not to expect too much from the team in 2008 despite a big budget increase.

The Indian billionaire bought into the Spyker team and renamed it after last season and interest has been drummed up further through advertisements about "the force of a billion hearts."

After announcing Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and German Adrian Sutil as the drivers for the new season on Thursday, Mallya called for expectations to be "reasonable and practical".

"I do not for a minute underestimate the challenges before me and my team," Mallya said after announcing the budget for the season as $120 million, an increase of $50 million from last year.

"I have said that we will not produce any miracles in 2008, but we will certainly demonstrate to the world that Force India is going firmly in the right direction up the grid."

Cricket-crazy India, with 1.1 billion people and the fastest growing major economy after China, is seen as a potential market for other sports.

"My objective is by 2010, when India will host their first-ever F-1 Grand Prix, that Force India Formula One team will rightfully occupy a place in the podium. That doesn't mean we can't get to the podium earlier," he added.

NO LIFELINE

Some had expected Force India to hand a lifeline to Narain Karthikeyan [Images], who became the country's first Formula 1 driver in 2005 and tested with Williams last year.

"I had to choose the drivers very, very carefully because here is a team that also needs to learn," Mallya said.

"The engineering team needs to benefit from the inputs of the drivers. In that purpose no Indian driver fitted the bill."


Mallya said it was a proud moment personally and for the whole of India.

"We understand India is a big country, we understand the name of the team is Force India and that there is going to be many, many Indians closely watching the performance of this team.

"And to them we owe our best efforts and our best performance. There is not going to be any compromise whatsoever. But expectation levels also need to be reasonable and practical."

 
http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/jan/11mallya.htm

[dextrous]

blwe,
team is only indian in name, right?

[Blwe_torch]

blwe,
team is only indian in name, right?

The owner happens to be an Indian too.
Yeah, we shall have to wait a bit longer.....until we have some Indian engineers/ IT back up team/ Drivers/ etc.
Infact, there are a few Indian backup team, especially manning the IT support in some other teams though.

[Blwe_torch]

Fisichella does 76 laps in testing

January 16, 2008 14:54 IST

Giancarlo Fisichella had his first official day behind Force India wheels, completing 76 laps, more than a full race distance, on the second day of testing at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Spain.

The 35-year-old Italian continued the team's programme of set-up work and integrating the 2008 standard electronic control unit.

Fisichella's best lap time at yesterday's testing was 1:20.764.

Although the track was damp in the morning, with far fewer red flags than on Monday, the team was able to make up for limited running and complete the greater part of its programme.

Adrian Sutil will take over on the third and final day of the test for the Vijay Mallya [Images] co-owned team today.

"Not too bad today. The circuit was damp in the morning, but by mid-day it was getting better. We did most of the programme, but unfortunately we had some minor mechanical issues," Fisichella said.

"At the end, with the new tyres there was a possibility to have a faster time, but unfortunately there was traffic and then I made a mistake, but it's quite encouraging. I think we can improve quite a lot as we are going in the right direction," he added.

Force India chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne termed Tuesday's testing a productive one for the team.

"A better day with improved track conditions and especially fewer red flags, which made for a more productive day of running," he said.

"We worked through a range of set-up options with Giancarlo and made some improvements to the car, so in general a useful day," he added.


 
http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/jan/16fisi.htm

[Blwe_torch]

Liuzzi to put pressure on Fisichella

January 17, 2008 19:45 IST

Force India have warned drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil that they must perform if they want to stay with the Formula One team beyond 2008.

The team, formerly Spyker, have also signed Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi as their reserve and expect him to put constant pressure on the two race drivers.


"If they need any motivation, they need only look at who the test driver is," technical head Mike Gascoyne told Reuters in an interview. "They are going to need to be performing or else there is a guy there who can obviously step in.

"He (Liuzzi) is quick, he's experienced and he wants to be a race driver.

"The message is very clear for Fisi, for both the race drivers. If they want to be driving in 2009, they have got to deliver. If not, there is a guy who will be driving it in 2009."

Liuzzi raced for Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso last year but was replaced by France's [Images] four times ChampCar champion Sebastien Bourdais.


The Italian, whose speed has never been in doubt, then had to fight Austrian Christien Klien for the testing slot with Force India.

Gascoyne said Fisichella, a race winner signed from former champions Renault just when it seemed the 35-year-old Roman might have run out of options, had been an obvious choice to partner inexperienced German Sutil.

"If you look at our driver line-up, not just with Fisi as a race driver but with Antonio as test driver, it's obviously a massive step forward over where we were last year," said Gascoyne.

"We've struggled. When your lead driver is a rookie, if he gets lost at all you are going to lose your way."

Gascoyne said Fisichella, in his tests with the team, had already found a surprising amount of speed.

"Fisi has always been a very smooth driver and I think with the elimination of traction control, it will really help him. Fisi is a guy who you have to keep interested and make sure he's motivation is there.

"But I have to say from the two tests he's done with us, he's been very, very fired up. He's been pleasantly surprised by the car and he's given us some really excellent feedback."

NEW JORDAN

Force India are the latest incarnation of Jordan, the rock'n'roll team run by colourful Irish entrepreneur Eddie Jordan who sold out to Midland in 2005.


That team was then bought by the Dutch Spyker sportscar company before again changing hands with the arrival of Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya [Images].

"I think we are (a proper Formula One team) now. Last year it was not a pleasant situation and not one we could really talk about. We had to pretend it was all okay when it blatantly wasn't," said Gascoyne of life with troubled Spyker.

"Vijay is quite a flamboyant figure, a very successful businessman, a charismatic guy, a sort of Indian Flavio (Briatore) and he wants to succeed.

"We want to be like Jordan was in 1999 -- not the biggest team but small and efficient and rocking the boat a bit," added the Briton. "Vijay was there at the Christmas party, he had Eddie and his band playing which was a very nice touch...They are very well aware of the Jordan element of the history of the team."

Spyker scored just one point last year, an improvement on Midland who drew a blank in 2006, but Force India are looking to a much improved showing.


"I think the driver choice is a clear statement of intent," said Gascoyne. "We're not taking pay drivers, we've got a budget mapped out for the year which is significantly better than what we've had in the past and it's real rather than promised.

"Everything is working well now and I think we can take a step forward.

"We want to be regularly getting through the first round of qualifying. If you've got a guy like Fisi putting it 11th to 16th, he'll bring you home some points and that has got to be the target.

"I think there are three or four teams we can target and by the middle of the year, maybe more than that."

 
http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/jan/17force.htm