Sidepodcast - All for F1 and F1 for all

Force India reveal VJM04 in online launch - The Silverstone team release their 2011 car into the wild

Published by Christine

Force India reveal their 2011 car
Credit: Force India F1

With more of a whimper than a bang, Force India became the final team to reveal their 2011 car with an online launch. As with most online-only events, the website struggled to keep up, but when we finally got a glimpse of the new car - the VJM04 - it looked remarkably similar to the old one.

The sidepods have seen a bit of sculpting work, but it looks as though the majority of focus has been on the front wing, which is far more complex than the 2010 version. Force India also have made steps towards the Team Lotus style roll hoop.

The online launch included the three drivers for 2011 - Adrian Sutil, Paul di Resta and Nico Hülkenberg - taking questions from the audience, and CEO of Force India Otmar Szafnauer was also on hand to answer any questions. He revealed that the team are aiming for fifth place in the championship this year, up from 7th last year. This would continue their gradual improvement since starting in F1.

We are targeting fifth place in the championship – and in order to do that we have to score points from the beginning and then all the way through to the end. To do that, we need strong development during the year – and if all goes well, then perhaps even a podium finish or two is an aim.

- Otmar Szafnauer

All eyes are on rookie driver Paul di Resta though, who joins the team after a stint as reserve driver. He's confident he can make a good impression in his first season.

I've always said that a DTM car is like a single seater with a roof and racing them is pretty tough, so I don't have any concerns about fitness or concentration over the race distances. Participating in the free practice sessions last year however gave me a heads up to see which particular areas needed a bit more focus, for example your neck or shoulder muscles. Testing over the winter will be the best training to get back into it though.

- Paul di Resta

The car will be on track at the next pre-season test which begins on Thursday this week in Jerez.

All content in the series F1 Launches 2011