Force India VJM06 launch – first pictures and video

2013 F1 cars

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The Force India VJM06 has been revealed for the first time. The fourth F1 car to be revealed this year broke cover today at Silverstone.

Force India fell from sixth to seventh in the championship despite increasing their points haul.

Paul di Resta has been announced as one of the team’s drivers for this season however the identity of his team mate is yet to be confirmed. Deputy team principal Bob Fernley said they were not naming his team mate today as they “didn’t want to confuse the two stories”.

Force India’s chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer said the team began work on its 2013 car earlier than usual: “We stopped development of the last car in the latter half of last year, and that’s given us a great platform to work from.”

“I expect it to be very competitive this year. The regulations are stable and I expect the field to be as competitive, perhaps even more so than it was in 2012.”

Technical director Andrew Green said the limited scope for innovation under the technical rules forced them to be more aggressive in their pursuit of performance:

“Gains are harder and harder to find due to the regulation stability, so we couldn’t hold back. We had to redesign everything to maximise the potential of the car.”

He added that the team’s focus in testing will be getting to the bottom of Pirelli’s new tyres for 2013: “The new tyres haven’t had too much of an impact on this year’s design. It’s been quite small, really.

“We’ve left ourselves a few options to look after the tyres and keep them in their optimum windows.

“What it will do is drive our winter test programme massively. Our focus in testing will be all around the tyres. It’s one thing we don’t really understand at the moment and we probably won’t until we start running them.

“Ever in winter testing it will be difficult to get the complete picture, running around Barcelona is not going to be the same as running in Melbourne.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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77 comments on “Force India VJM06 launch – first pictures and video”

  1. Damn it! Force site is down for me, can’t wait to see more pics!

    1. It has been saying that it’s logging in for 30 minutes now, but somehow I can still watch the live feed O_o

      1. Force India are hopeless at this stuff. Last year, they accidentally limited the number of people who could see the live launch to 150 viewers.

        1. Agree. Its the same almost every year. Lame webcast partners. Their server konks out at the right time as soon as the traffic hits! I couldn’t watch the live stream either..

  2. It’s the first time they haven’t changed the livery :( should hv used blue colour. Sporting colour of India

    1. Yeah, but most people associate white, orange and green with India because they are the three primary colours of the Indian flag – the blue is only small by comparison.

      1. @prisoner-monkeys The blue used by Indian sports teams is of a lighter hue than the navy blue Wheel of Dharma in our flag. Remember India’s A1 Team? They used the light blue. Google ‘Indian cricket team jersey’. Thats the blue i am talking about

        1. I always wonder why Italian sports teams wear blue and white when blue is nowhere to be found on their flag.

          At least there’s a bit of blue on Indian flag…

          1. i know that one. Its the family colour of what was the Italian Royal Family

          2. Us Dutch use orange while it’s not in our flag. In our case, our royal family’s surname is Van Oranje (=Orange in Dutch).

      2. I think he might know that, judging by his avatar.

        1. I’m on my mobile, so I can’t see avatars right now.

          1. @prisoner-monkeys i didnt knw tht u couldnt see avatars in smartphones. I hope they provide a PC like surfing experience soon.

          2. Maybe you should of just taken his word for it.

      3. Here is what Indian flag colours symbolise-
        Saffron: Sacrifice.
        White: Purity.
        Green: Our relation to the soil/environment.
        Blue wheel (Ashok Chakra): Wheel of truth (dharma)

        This is what Force India must follow if they want to display the colours.

      4. The orange is still the Spyker F1 orange, as to the India theme… sorry that’s all played out now. Vijay’s no longer pulling the strings, besides where’s India Next F1 Driver!?
        Chandok, Kartikeyan all long gone. So will Sutil makes his come-back!? Whoops Dr. Kolles is no longer involved. #politics

  3. I have to say, this time Force India actually made a good looking car.

  4. After wat seemed like ages waiting for the live feed, this is the best site to get the updates. Thanks Keith.

  5. So, Lotus will be the only team this year with stepped nose?

    1. Technically every team will be.

  6. That nose from that angle reminds me of some of the Schumacher Ferrari’s.. A call back to my early years as an F1 fan, makes me feel quite nostalgic.

    It looks brilliant, but unfortunately I’ve seen the Ferrari, and it’ll take a lot to make a car that looks better than the F138 in my opinion…

  7. Don’t forget this awesome launch picture, Keith. It’s from Force India’s so-called best seat in the house!
    http://t.co/FepQhwcd

    1. Brilliant! Comment of the day for me @benh

  8. New TW Steel sponsorship on the car, that’s a “multi-year partnership to become the ‘Official Timing Partner’” according to the watch manufacturer’s facebook page.

  9. They had this same problem in 2011 or 2010, i think, where they launched the car via a live feed, which crashed within minutes of the launch. They gave a stupid reason in facebook at that time. Wat now?

  10. so, 3 out of 3… CONCLUSION: James Allison is “stepped” wrong :))

    1. Maybe James needs a vanity cover of his own, to hide the egg on his face ;-)

    2. I believe, as with all of these reveals, the cars we will see come track time will differ. Don’t be surprised to see the Lotus with either a modesty panel or a duct of some sort on their nose, if not maybe an egg as mentioned by @pmelton maybe laid by an Angry Bird?

  11. Well, nothing fancy but it looks sleek and clean, to be honest. I kinda like it. Let’s hope it runs a bit better than it did last year and all should be good.

    I suppose they didn’t reveal the 2nd driver’s name, by accident, did they?

  12. 4 launches, and McLaren are top of the bill for presentation again.
    Ferrari feed was poor and grainy, Force India : never got in to it because a great big panel to sign in to Force India filled the screen, also the feed was totally overloaded and stalled. Force India fail again, last year was the same. Lotus, missed it.

    1. I think Lotus’ launch was the best. It started when it was supposed to (no waiting), it lasted just 15 minutes, it was in HD, and it was straight to the point (no need for long speeches ala Luca Monte).

    2. @abuello-paul i missed the McLaren launch thanks to Vodafone internet outage in my area. Ironic! @kaiie

    3. @abuello-paul i missed the McLaren launch thanks to a 4 day Vodafone internet outage in my area. Ironic! @kaiie

  13. Looks good, Diresta looks so uncomfortable sat there by himself though!

    1. Indeed. They should have at least got a blow up doll (if you know what I mean) to sit on the other front tyre. That would have spiced up the launch perhaps.

      1. haha, I just hope Diresta wouldn’t go the other way and look TOO comfortable!

    2. @skett – there was a good idea suggested by one of my friends that they should have confirmed their driver line-up by Di Resta uncovering the car, revealing the second driver sitting in the cockpit. I think that would’ve been a very good idea!

      1. That would have been kinda cool!

  14. I never liked di Resta, but in the pictures sitting alone on the car he looks kind a sad. Probably indicates the overall situation in team.

    That sucks.

    1. lol, actually i like him, he is too young now, and has the capability of doing big, hope this car will bring some fortunes to Force India And resta. Btw I like the car too.

    2. Forever Alone meme comes to mind

      1. We clearly think the same way! Made this earlier:
        http://i.imgur.com/0UdOfLh.jpg

        1. What a day-brightener/wake up call! XD

  15. I quite like it, largely due to the livery and that I really like the shape of the nose.

  16. Any News On second driver??

  17. will they also be revealing who’s their second driver?

    1. No idea, was expecting that,, !

  18. It’s quite sad to see only one driver at the launch of a new car.

  19. Hey Lotus, you have 40 days to “2013” your out of date nose!

    1. How is it out of date? The rules allow both and if they think there’s a gain/less of a compromise from staying low, so be it.

  20. thatscienceguy
    1st February 2013, 11:12

    di Resta looks really lonely in these pictures.

    Not a good look only having one driver confirmed.

  21. i think i’ll miss those step nose, hope lotus keeps it as is.

  22. Woooo, no stepped nose :) 2013 it looks like will be a better year for how the cars look.

  23. It looks like the VJM05 but then can’t say much from the pics. Why do they even bother streaming the launch. Such a fail.

  24. So much for James Allison’s prediction that teams would avoid modesty plates. Between McLaren, Ferrari and now Force India, we’ve got three teams using them. And Valtteri Bottas has confirmed that the Williams FW35 will mot have a stepped nose, either.

  25. Well, this is awkward. One driver at launch? C’mon FI it can’t be that hard to just MAKE A DECISION!

  26. This car is EXACTLY the same as the car that raced in Brazil 10 weeks ago. The front wing, sidepods, exhaust, airbox, everthing is exactly the same except for the nose cone. Obviously they have gone with the vanity panel and apart from that and the little vortex generator just in front of the front suspension, there is no difference at all. Makes sense: the cars that were launched by McLaren, Ferrari and Lotus were just models, probably without any working components. Force India’s had to be ready for the shakedown, so it makes sense that they have opted to go with last year’s car.

    1. As I say that, there are two minor difference: the air box intake is supported by two instead of four pillars and the amount of slots in the rear wing has increased from four to five :P

      1. @andae23 – I’m glad someone else has noticed this. I can appreciate cars being very similar, with subtle differences, like the Ferrari, or even quite a few reworks, like the MP4-28…but this…apart from what you said, I can’t see anything different. I can’t see this being a good year for them.

  27. “Deputy team principal Bob Fernley said they were not naming his team mate today as they “didn’t want to confuse the two stories”.”

    Makes no sence what-so-ever…

    1. Simple: they want maximum exposure, and feel that they can get it by launching the car and announcing the second driver separately, rather than doing both at the same time and having the two stories compete with one another for attention. Especially with Ferrari launching their car on the same day.

      They might get less immediate exposure, but it will pay off in the long.

      1. Perhaps they could have made more of an event with Di Resta pulling off a cover to reveal the new driver already in the car. A bit like last year’s Mercedes launch:
        http://wtf1.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/sleeping-kimi-merc.jpg
        (courtesy of wtf1).

      2. @prisoner-monkeys

        They might get less immediate exposure, but it will pay off in the long.

        I dont see how. Thoughts?

      3. Had they wanted maximum exposure, it would have been wise not to plan their launch on the same day everyone was at Maranello to see the Scuderia’s new car @prisoner-monkeys

        1. @bascb Force India announced launch date b4 Ferrari

          1. Oh, I know, but had they wanted max publicity, as PM alludes, they would have changed it the moment they found out the attention would be drawn away by Ferrari @malleshmagdum

  28. Its so sad to see Paul on his lonesome. Although i sort of get the “Not confusing the stories” bit, this is the car launch not new driver launch. This should be a celebration of the team & the new car. After all Mclaren seem to have launched with both drivers present one of which is grabbing all the press attention?!?

    Maybe the contract isn’t quite there yet. Or maybe I’m confusing the stories ?

  29. I think most cars look similar to last year’s(apart from nose!) is because they will test with old wing settings and then add on the new parts as testing goes on…..this will help them comparing where they stand and are they moving in the right path..

  30. From the side it’s certainly very, very nice, although from the front the nose looks too wide and fat. That, though, will certainly less time to become accustomed to than the stepped noses!

  31. Nothing spectacular, aesthetically speaking. An ok-looking car. Haven’t ever been a big fan of this livery.

  32. Well it seems nobody is leaving to much leaks on this year car yet, in a way shold had been obvious but actually being so tight last year any small difference can be a big thing for any team.
    Dont rule out a return to step noses or flat ones by any team just yet, is merely an official sponsor showdown …

  33. nice car

  34. I’m off to the bookies to put money on Vitaly Petrov being in the other seat. TW Steel has just appeared around the cockpit. If you remember, they were the snout on that pig-ugly renault in 2009 and came with Vitaly there.

  35. Is it just me or is the front wing very basic

  36. i think the car looks great, poor paul on his lonesome , ihave added the picture to my collection on facebook f1 show car hire.

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