Force India was never meant to perform as well as it
does. It took over from a string of backmarker teams ten years ago, and has
been climbing up the order ever since – from 10th place in 2008, to 9th, 7th,
6th, and 5th, to finish 4th place in last year's constructors standings.
Now it's entering its tenth consecutive world
championship with the car you see here. Unveiled at Silverstone is the
VJM10, built to comply
with the new regulations in place for the 2017 FIA Formula One World
Championship.
With the big shakeup in the rulebook, Force India
says this design is 95 percent different from last year's. As in the past nine
years (following one season under Ferrari power), it packs a Mercedes
powertrain, which has given it an edge over other teams. With Le Mans winner
Nico Hülkenberg now departed to the Renault team, Force India has picked up
Manor refugee Estenban Ocon to join Sergio Perez behind the wheel this season.
Will the team be able to advance even further up the
order with this new car? Or will this mark the beginning of a backwards slide?
Only time will tell, and we'll be watching to find out as the new season gets
underway.
