07/06/2015
NEWS STORY
Having passed all the relevant tests, the much anticipated B-spec VJM08 will be ready in time for British Grand Prix.
Hampered by numerous problems, including, it is claimed, those of Caterham and its suppliers, not to mention money, the Silverstone outfit made it clear that the car, which didn’t take to the track until the third pre-season test in February, was essentially a stop-gap. Indeed, it was the new livery that was given a fanfare launch, in Mexico, a few weeks earlier.
Now, having passed all the mandatory crash tests the new car will be ready for its 'home' Grand Prix, and the good news is that both drivers will have one. Previously it was thought the car would make its race debut in Austria and that with only one chassis available Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez would need to toss a coin in order to see who got to drive it.
"The most important thing for us is to have two cars at Silverstone so both drivers have the same opportunity," Deputy Team Principal, Robert Fernley told Reuters.
The car, which will make its track debut at the test that follows the Austrian Grand Prix, is "a very significant departure (from the previous car)," said Fernley. "It's the culmination of a massive programme that Force India has undertaken over the winter.
"We passed all the crash test requirements this week," he revealed. "We failed the first one, got through the second and we're on target to try it out at the test. Its first race programme will be Silverstone.
"We really haven't been able to bring any key track improvement since probably Russia last year," he admitted, "while we've been going through this whole process where we've changed the philosophy of how we actually operate our aero department.
"I'm very encouraged and I think the team have done a remarkable job," he continued. "More importantly, we've been able to stay in touch with our competitors throughout the period where we've been operating a slightly under-performing car."
Indeed, yesterday Hulkenberg and Perez qualified seventh and tenth and are expected to add further points to the team's tally today as it battles with Sauber, Lotus and Toro Rosso for fifth in the standings.