Force India announce partnership with McLaren-Mercedes // Vijay Mallya and Martin Whitmarsh sing each other's praises
Published by Christine Blachford
This is F1Minute and it’s the 10th November 2008.
Force India have confirmed what we all suspected, that they are partnering with McLaren next year. The deal will see the 2009 Force India feature a Mercedes HighPerformanceEngine and a McLaren gearbox and hydraulic system. The agreement lasts for five years, and has given Vijay Mallya a lot of hope for the future.
He says: "Of course in 2009 it's virtually a brand new car and a brand new design. At least from my perspective, winning races I think I can certainly aspire for maybe in 2010, but for 2009 I would be happy if we are regularly in the points. " For McLaren, Martin Whitmarsh has said the deal makes the two teams very close, and they will discuss all aspects of racing together, however they won’t be making driver decisions on Force India’s behalf.
Also this weekend, the FOTA have agreed that cutting the cost of customer engines is a way to appease the FIA, and have set the price at £4 million.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1Minute.
