04/02/2015
NEWS STORY
Having missed the opening test at Jerez, Force India now says it will not introduce its 2015 contender until the final test at Barcelona.
The Silverstone-based outfit was originally scheduled to run its 2014 contender at Jerez, and introduce the VJM08 at the first of the two Barcelona tests.
However, it subsequently announced that by running the old car it wouldn't really learn anything and therefore opted to focus on introducing the new car in Barcelona.
Today however, the team revealed that the car will not appear until a week later at the final pre-season test in Spain.
"Although everybody is working towards getting the VJM08 to the next test session in Barcelona, it's more likely the new car will appear at the final Barcelona test," said the team in a statement. "So, that would mean running the 2014 car at the first Barcelona test."
The news comes in the midst of claims, mainly in the German media, that it is in serious financial difficulty, to the extent that the VJM08 tub isn't complete as suppliers are not providing the parts needed. Indeed, it has been claimed the team is racing against the clock to have the car in Melbourne for the season opener.
Whilst the team has dismissed the claims, today's announcement does not exactly inspire confidence. Indeed, one is puzzled as to how, if the car will be ready for the final test, it cannot be ready a week earlier for the first of the tests at the Barcelona track.
"The challenge facing us in 2015 is to build on our competitiveness and strengthen the team in certain areas," said team boss Vijay Mallya earlier this week. "We've come a long way in eight years and the goal is to keep progressing.
"We were on the podium last year, which was an important boost, but actually I think we deserved more than that. So the target is to achieve more podiums in 2015 and we've taken some decisions recently to ensure we remain competitive. For example, moving all our wind tunnel work to the Toyota facility in Cologne gives us access to a tunnel that is a match for any team on the grid.
"Of course, there will be some transition time as we adapt and get up-to-speed, but I'm confident it's a decision that will stand us in good stead for the future."
Let's hope that the rumours are just that, rumours.