Force India showcased its 2012 Formula 1 challenger, known as VJM05, at the Silverstone circuit under sub-zero conditions. The new racer car was unveiled by the team’s drivers Paul Di Resta, Nico Hulkenburg and Jules Bianchi. The front fascia of the challenger is block shaped and features a dramatic-looking nose.
Di Resta took the new 2012 F1 racer on the Silverstone track and completed a few laps after unveiling the vehicle. He said there is more pressure on him this year as he is no more a rookie. Admiring the car he said, “With what the guys have achieved with the car, I can't wait to get in it."
The VJM05 is the first F1 car to be unveiled for the circuit in the 2012 season. Though Williams was scheduled to run its car on 2nd February 2012, the event was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Likewise, Ferrari also cancelled the scheduled run of its car owing to snow at its factory at Maranello, Italy.
Force India is looking to grab the fifth place in the 2012 season after finishing sixth last year. This year, Force India team is expecting to score better and give tough competition to the four major F1 teams, namely Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull Racing and McLaren.
The Indian team will be without its leading scorer Adrian Sutil this year. Sutil had scored maximum points for the Indian racing team. In the last two F1 seasons Sutil made 47 and 42 points for the team, but still he was relieved of his duties at the end of the last year. On the other hand, Di Resta was able to score only 27 points in his rookie year, though he is still a part of the line-up.
In 2010 and 2011, the Indian team was trampled by Renault and Williams and came seventh and sixth in the final points order respectively. However, Robert Fernley, Deputy Principal of the team, said that he is very happy and satisfied the current set of drivers his team has. He said, “I think Nico is a proven package.”
