The first pictures of the new Force India VJM10 for 2017 have been revealed.
The team revealed their latest racer at Silverstone.
Force India heads into the 2017 season following their most successful campaign to date last season when they finished fourth overall.
Team co-owner Vijay Mallya would not be drawn on whether they will increase their tally of two podiums from last year. But he was quick to refute Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul’s claim that non-manufacturer teams could find themselves out-gunned under F1’s new regulations.
“I read an article this morning that Cyril Abiteboul of Renault said that poor teams such as Force India were going to suffer in this arms race,” he said.
“Well, good luck to him. He might have to eat his words. It’s not the amount of arms you have, it’s the quality of your weaponry.”
Technical director Andrew Green said the wholesale changes in Formula One’s regulations for 2017 “require a change in mentality.”
“It took a bit of time to adjust at first, but we are there now and I am confident we know where to look and where the performance is coming from with this car.”
Green predicted a rapid rate in development under the new rules:
“The development slope is incredibly steep and we are going to see significant updates to the cars at regular intervals, right from the start. It’s going to be big updates and I don’t think development will start to taper off any time soon.”
The VJM10 has several striking differences between it and the cars launched so far. The tip of the nose is split and there is a discernible step where it meets the chassis.
Previous Force India F1 cars
- Force India VJM09 (2016) pictures
- Force India VJM08 (2015) pictures
- Force India VJM07 (2014) pictures
- Force India VJM06 (2013) pictures
- Force India VJM05 (2012) pictures
- More Force India F1 cars
Andre Furtado
22nd February 2017, 14:03
Ugliest car so far.
Wesley (@)
22nd February 2017, 22:59
ooooogly! That step nose is terrible. I still wish them the best. I like this underdog team.
Andre Furtado
22nd February 2017, 23:05
Agreed. Would love to see some of the underdogs deliver this year.
ivz (@ivz)
23rd February 2017, 1:20
How difficult is it for them to write regs for the front nose section that forces it to be at least twice as wide? They changed so many things on the car, yet they couldn’t fix the ugliest part? I mean come on!
knoxploration
24th February 2017, 0:54
Worst comedy nose yet. Can we please, *please* ban these idiotic things already, and go back to cars that don’t look like they’ve been on the losing end of a boxing match? And while we’re at it, get rid of the shark fins too.
Mashiat (@mashiat)
22nd February 2017, 14:03
The front wing looks a bit odd, but overall I like the fact that they have increased the amount of silver on the car.
Excuse me :D (@square-route)
22nd February 2017, 14:20
Too much silver tbh. And why is the fin absolutely blank? That looks weird.
Stepped nose is .. uhmm, interesting.
Innovative as always with the nose.
Overall I am a bit disappointed as the other cars revealed till now have looked great.
The Last Pope (@the-last-pope)
22nd February 2017, 15:42
I’m hoping the driver number is going on the fin, and that is why it is blank like the number space on the nose. Still will be ugly though.
Kringle
22nd February 2017, 17:56
Oh God can we all just move away from the colours all the time and look and compare the technical achievements of each team?
This is the fourth car now where 90% of the comments are of how much they like or dislike the level of black or silver or gold or whatever.
Obviously they aren’t Melbourne designs but there are some features worth discussing.
Valid point or shall I get my coat?
Grammo (@grammo)
22nd February 2017, 18:58
+1 Thank you
Robbie (@robbie)
22nd February 2017, 19:16
Hmmm….what colour is your coat?
Torg22
22nd February 2017, 14:04
Hmmm.. nah! Prefer last years car :)
Moshambles (@moshambles)
22nd February 2017, 14:05
Disappointing
Pete (@repete86)
22nd February 2017, 14:05
I love how creative their front-end designs have been since the introduction of the nostrils. That’s really clever and out of the box.
The Last Pope (@the-last-pope)
22nd February 2017, 15:13
I really wish they hadn’t painted the recessed bottom plane of the nostrils in black though. Makes the nose look like a fat middle pronged trident.
Patrick (@paeschli)
23rd February 2017, 19:17
Coudn’t agree more. I understand the comments saying it’s an ugly car, but I don’t want to see a spec series and this car is definitey very original. I really hope their unconventional design turns out to be good.
San
22nd February 2017, 14:05
Look at that, a stepped nose. Or something that looks a lot like it.
Blackmamba (@blackmamba)
22nd February 2017, 14:17
It is a stepped nose and looks like a piece of the jigsaw is missing from the front end….
Pete (@repete86)
22nd February 2017, 14:37
I’m guessing/hoping that this is where an S duct outlet will be in Barcelona.
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
22nd February 2017, 14:24
A 2012 stepped nose, a 2014 fallus-nosetip, a rediculous looking 2010 garden fence a.k.a. sharkvin, and the new for 2017 longer-but-not-really-wider look…
Joao (@johnmilk)
22nd February 2017, 15:13
@jeffreyj don’t be harsh on them, they only forgot to grind the hump out of it
and I’m sure they are expecting that the nosetip will grow on us (too much?)
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
22nd February 2017, 19:54
I saw a video analysis on youtube where the guy says he heard or read that that ‘hump’ is in place in anticipation of the active suspension rule changes. It’s the housing for their version I guess.
Also, talking of that phallic tip and ‘growing’ in the same sentence should be X-rated @johnmilk! ;-)
Joao (@johnmilk)
22nd February 2017, 23:15
@jeffreyj I tought that was just a rumour, and surely if it materialises it will be for the 2018 season.
I failed to contain that pun…
Travis Daye (@travis-daye)
22nd February 2017, 14:05
Yikes! Hope I’m wrong, but that Mercedes teaser image of the nose makes a lot more sense now; return of the ant-eater noses?
MaddMe (@)
22nd February 2017, 23:29
Looks like it… In this case Anteater nose and Vampire fangs…
Domo
22nd February 2017, 14:05
Horrible the worst compare the other 3 cars presented in the previous days
sam3110 (@sam3110)
22nd February 2017, 14:05
My God it is ugly, they have the largest phallus so far at least, the step down to the nose is as bad as some from a few years ago, the shark fin looks like a sheet of aluminium bolted on the back, and there is far far far too much silver.
Chris B (@kanundra)
22nd February 2017, 14:30
Agreed, this is a huge disappointment. Hopefully their performance is as competitive as last year, but this design looks very rudimentary compared to the other cars that have been revealed.
Akshat (@t17115)
22nd February 2017, 15:00
+1
petebaldwin (@)
22nd February 2017, 15:26
Sadly, I agree. That’s a horrendous looking car. It doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be quick but it certainly won’t look good doing so!
Dom (@3dom)
22nd February 2017, 15:53
Yeah have to agree that it’s the worst looking car so far. Missing their vibrant colourful liveries of previous years. Silver, orange and black are just not a good combination at all.
The stepped nose isn’t as bad as in 2012 due to the fact that the nose slopes down but it’s still not great, hopefully it’s there because there’s a loophole in the regs and they’re going to introduce some innovative vent of some sort.
I don’t mind shark fins in general but at least the others are sculpted and look like they’ll be of aerodynamic benefit, this one just looks like someone slapped so cardboard on the back of the engine cover and covered it in the same uninspiring silver paint. I’m sure that must be the most functional shape for their car but it just doesn’t look like it is. Disappointed, fingers crossed it’s just a testing livery
Trayambak Chakravarty (@major-dev)
22nd February 2017, 18:51
First time I’ve heard of a large phallus being a bad thing
Joao (@johnmilk)
23rd February 2017, 8:08
@sam3110 regarding that shark fin, If I’m honest, when Trump said he would build a wall and make Mexicans pay for it, this wasn’t what I had envisioned.
Honners (@honners)
22nd February 2017, 14:06
Thought we’d be getting rid of the ugly noses but no we get a hybrid of 2012 and 2014. Other than that nice livery and overall nice car.. I think
Andre (@lheela)
22nd February 2017, 14:06
They managed to combine the stepped noses from 2012 with the donger-noses of 2014. Well done.
Fin looks horrible, put something on there ffs.
Livery is a step back from last year.
Biggest disappointment so far.
Strontium (@strontium)
22nd February 2017, 14:08
+1
Torg22
22nd February 2017, 14:14
+ 2. Looked classy last year which can’t be said for this one! The livery looks like a rush job.
just.daz (@nemo87)
22nd February 2017, 14:06
Following my comments yesterday..
They went full billboard.
Other than that.. interesting nose. Not sure what I think about it yet.
Also a lot of teams seem to have adapted Mercedes airbox inlet from last year!
just.daz (@nemo87)
22nd February 2017, 14:21
Thinking about it, I don’t think that’s the final engine cover otherwise they surely would have put a sponsor on their.. right?
We all know VJ is a ‘sneaky’ bloke.. ;) they must be hiding something before testing haha
Pete (@repete86)
22nd February 2017, 14:38
My thoughts exactly. They probably have something clever that they don’t want people to see yet. Same with the step where the now-ubiquitous S-duct outlet usually is.
John G (@jfever78)
22nd February 2017, 15:32
First thing I thought. That fin is sure to change before the first race. Maybe they have something up their sleeve there…
just.daz (@nemo87)
22nd February 2017, 16:31
Maybe there’s like a massive super-dooper turbo on the other side and it’s just hiding it hahaha!
As for the bump unfortunately I think that’s there to stay the slope on the nose would have to be quite a bit steeper to smooth that out!
THOMF1S (@thomf1s)
22nd February 2017, 14:06
Not too bad, interesting nosecone solution, not too keen on the billboard hanging off the engine cover!
MrMuffins
22nd February 2017, 14:06
Im not passing any judgement but it seems to have several historically unpopular features:
-The billboard fin
-the stepped nose
-the NSFW nose
GeeMac (@geemac)
22nd February 2017, 14:06
Just when we were getting rid of all the silver cars on the grid…sigh.
On the plus side, the car itself looks great. The rear looks really neatly packaged.
Joao (@johnmilk)
22nd February 2017, 14:18
@geemac if mclaren go orange I will mix them in the first couple of races
Unicron (@unicron2002)
22nd February 2017, 14:25
@geemac I have just re-read an article by the photographer Darren Heath who summed it up nicely a few years ago when he lamented the number of black, grey and silver cars on the grid:
“There’s a clue in the name… Force INDIA. Can you think of a country that has a greater reputation for use of vibrant, life-enhancing and mood-stimulating colour? I can’t.
So why the hell is the team that should soar way above all others in their use of eye-popping hues painting their F1 car almost entirely black? (for 2017 read silver) What a wasted opportunity.”
GeeMac (@geemac)
22nd February 2017, 15:02
Agreed @unicron2002. For me, they peaked back when they were running the colours of the Indian flag (white, orange and green). It was a simple, clean, clear, bright statement about what the team was all about.
The 2017 car is a bit of a mess. It’s like a ForceEscuderia TelmexIndia.
Unicron (@unicron2002)
22nd February 2017, 15:22
Same here, the 2014 car was a lovely livery – much better than the predominately white design that came before, and obviously much better than the uninspiring silver&black ones that have followed. This year look like it was designed on MS Paint in Windows 95.
WilliamB (@william-brierty)
22nd February 2017, 15:25
@geemac – I genuinely don’t get the colour phobia this sport has. Ever since 2013 Force India have been incrementally scaling back on the orange and green than made them unique and noteworthy. Renault came over bashful after producing a bold yellow livery last year, and now has smothered the car in black. McLaren replaced their iconic chrome/rocket red livery with all-over grey. Ferrari, who produced a gorgeous retro livery last year are reportedly about to replace that with a red/black design.
It’s maddening. And you know it’s just because sponsors think their stickers stand out better on black/white.
GeeMac (@geemac)
22nd February 2017, 15:36
Money talks sadly…
Dom (@3dom)
22nd February 2017, 16:04
@geemac @william-brierty I think the sponsors need need to rethink their approach to marketing, I don’t notice sponsors on cars and overalls that look boring, it makes me look the other way
WilliamB (@william-brierty)
22nd February 2017, 16:19
@3dom – But when has common sense had anything to do with marketing? Codemasters have not been allowed to improve the damage model in F1 games because sponsors don’t want their brands associated with a virtual car crash – despite the fact that their stickers remain very much visible when the real cars crash. Such blinkered thinking actively alienates people, as does a grid of racing cars that look like corporate billboards, but this is lost on the world of marketing.
GeeMac (@geemac)
22nd February 2017, 15:33
Absolutely loving the work around the bargeboards and the front wing.
Mike
22nd February 2017, 14:07
That is a lovely looking car! Force India have gone very aggressive and that new nose isn’t just spectacular!
Mashiat (@mashiat)
22nd February 2017, 14:07
I know that people have often complained about silver and black liveries, but this year I believe that there will be more blue ones than black or silver.
Dom (@3dom)
22nd February 2017, 16:04
Good. Tbf there’s an opportunity for the grid to be very diverse, that would be ideal
Strontium (@strontium)
22nd February 2017, 14:07
Stepped nose, and in my opinion one of the worst liveries in recent years. And that’s not even a shark fin…
Beyond that, looks quite cool. It’s still got nostrils, which I was a big fan of.
thedolphins
22nd February 2017, 14:07
The design of the nose and bump in the suspension cover make me think that the design was rushed or is incomplete (less likely due to the timelines on crash tests.)
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
22nd February 2017, 14:41
My first conclusion would be that they don’t want to show anything interesting, rather than a “rushed or incomplete design”.
Adam (@rocketpanda)
22nd February 2017, 14:08
Unsure.
The front wing and nose looks great, as does the rear wing. But the livery looks a bit half-finished really – the enormous sea of white at the back just looks like they forgot to colour in that part. Also that ain’t a shark fin – it’s a sail.
Tayyib Abu
22nd February 2017, 14:08
Thats pretty striking. Big step down on the nose section. Shark fin is massive. Looks like a sportscar. Prefer the Renault but we’ll see which is quicker
Tom
22nd February 2017, 14:09
Hmm.. All I can think is that shark fin looks like VJs mullet.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
22nd February 2017, 14:09
That nose looks like the 2014 McLaren one. Kinda like an evolution to the nostrils, but the nostrils of lat year looked miles better. And that bump between the suspension arms is probably going to transform into an S duct, surely.
The livery itself is odd. I prefer last year’s, it was more balanced with the silver and black, plus that shark fin is absolutely empty giving it a very weird look overall.
WilliamB (@william-brierty)
22nd February 2017, 15:30
@fer-no65 Happily the fact that the shark-fins have not had sponsor space allocated on it on either the Sauber or the Force India probably means the teams are taking a suck-it-and-see approach – so they may yet be off the cars some Melbourne.
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
22nd February 2017, 14:09
It’s… it’s not very pretty. The Sauber and Renaults were stunning, but this…isn’t. That frong wing has a stepped (sort of) nose. The shark fin looks more like sheet metal.
sam3110 (@sam3110)
22nd February 2017, 14:09
I was really hoping we’d get more green and orange, and the Renault was going to be more yellow like last season, and obviously the McLaren orange, and we’d have a nice, colourful grid
They’ll be sold and the name changed by next season anyway
JackySteeg (@jackysteeg)
22nd February 2017, 14:10
Another interesting interpretation of the nose rules by Force India. But it seems like they’ve taken every hated design feature we’ve complained about (phallic noses, stepped nose, grey livery) and tried to squeeze them all in. Why couldn’t they just stick with their 2014 livery? They needed less grey, not more.
Joao (@johnmilk)
22nd February 2017, 14:11
The front of the car is mostly an iteration of last year’s, it is not the most beautiful of things but at least is different, and different interpretation of the rules are always nice to see
The general shape of the car is amazing, even though they forgot to grind the bump out off it in the front. Sidepods and engine cover are particularly very gorgeous in my opinion. But is is the first one that doesn’t look fast, which is a worthless opinion, but still.
They basically have the same sponsors as last year, so the livery is something that I was already expecting, not great, but not disappointing either, it is what it is
Joao (@johnmilk)
22nd February 2017, 14:12
no cut on the shark fin as well
Pete (@repete86)
22nd February 2017, 14:16
I’m kind of hoping that this isn’t the engine cover we’ll see in Barcelona or Australia and that there’s an S duct coming where the bump is now.
Joao (@johnmilk)
22nd February 2017, 14:31
@repete86 don’t know, where that air intake for the S duct be? The nostril cut direction don’t look like they feed air to that part of the car. I think the bum is there to accomodate the suspension, and then they had to go on that direction due to the rules regarding the front of the car
You may be right on the engine cover, not cut in the shark fin looks odd
Pete (@repete86)
22nd February 2017, 14:43
It’s not far from where FI usually put the outlet and I’m not seeing one on this car at all. Here’s where it’s been in the last two years for reference.
Joao (@johnmilk)
22nd February 2017, 14:55
@repete86 this car as quite an odd angle compared to last year’s, if they implement it, it has to be practically a new nose compared to the presentation car.
From the cars that we have seen so far, only the williams appear to have a s-duct, maybe the teams are not considering it to be worth it
They could at least paint the base of the nostrils in silver, it would make it look so much better
Pyon (@pyon)
22nd February 2017, 14:58
I think the Renault has one too: https://cdn-3.motorsport.com/images/mgl/YN3bpw46/s8/f1-renault-sport-f1-team-rs17-launch-2017-renault-sport-f1-team-rs17.jpg
Joao (@johnmilk)
22nd February 2017, 15:16
yes it does @pyon, my mistake
Half of my previous comment should be ignored
Pete (@repete86)
22nd February 2017, 15:27
The reveal nose doesn’t have to pass any crash tests. It can be a mock-up for all we know. …or you could be right and the teams are abandoning the concept, though I wouldn’t put too much stock in what Sauber have done considering their financial situation and the fact that they weren’t running one last year. Like previously mentioned, the Williams and Renault still have it, so I don’t think it’s been abandoned as a concept.
MrBoerns (@mrboerns)
22nd February 2017, 14:27
@johnmilk would you mind rephrasing the “it is what it is” part to “..but its the same for everybody, sooo…” in honour of your avatar?
the whole car looks kinda …crude if you ask me.
Joao (@johnmilk)
22nd February 2017, 14:35
@mrboerns Yeah, it’s alright
Mark G (@)
22nd February 2017, 14:12
Oh dear… I’d reluctantly accepted that we’d be seeing a lot of ‘thumb’ noses this year, but boy that thing is ugly.
Combined with the hump on the nose and the shark fin that looks like a bit of plastic they forgot to cut off the mold, the VJM10 is far from pretty.
I know beauty is subjective, but Formula 1 has got to do something about the nose rules to help the teams achieve decent performance without an ugly nose.
Crom
23rd February 2017, 10:22
My sentiments exactly.
Regulations should extend to protecting and improving the “image of F1“, not just defining performance parameters.
Pyon (@pyon)
22nd February 2017, 14:12
I think this is an absolute disaster from a looking point of view: the livery is dreadful, the design is awful. All the previous 3 looks much (much!) better from what I have seen so far.
Pyon (@pyon)
22nd February 2017, 14:17
And VJ who says he’d rather under-commit and then deliver, just to say 3 min later that there are no reasons not be 3 next year…. I mean come on, dreaming big is great but saying it is another story. Sounded like a guy completely off reality.
MattJ
22nd February 2017, 14:14
That’s a car only the designer could love. Jeez it’s one ugly bugger
Josh (@canadianjosh)
22nd February 2017, 14:14
Dullest colours so far from the 4 teams, it would look better with more green and orange, it doesn’t shine….pretty bland.
G. (#F1insperations) (@greggriffiths)
22nd February 2017, 14:14
Don’t like that novlse from the front view…I will be cowering away from it every time I see it from the front….But from the side it looks a lot better.
Colour wise…I’m a happy man…Little less black…But I don’t think I anticipated that much silver …. Especially with a fin that big and knarly…But otherwise I think it looks good and hope they still preform well
G. (#F1insperations) (@greggriffiths)
22nd February 2017, 14:26
like yesterday – having second thoughts after a closer look. :)
ok i don’t like the ant eater nose but i don’t mind that they have tried to cover it up by having the side ‘wings’ follow it. one thing we can say is at least its not reciprocal of the ugliest car ever – the ant eater nosed Caterham
James (@jimbo0070)
22nd February 2017, 14:15
Not a fan.
Kie
22nd February 2017, 14:15
A little disappointing. Livery is a step down from 2016 and certainly 2015. Don’t like the nose. Fin look weirds without graphics, though of course it is shark coloured.
MarkM
22nd February 2017, 14:17
Not a fan, I don’t like the stepped nose, Renaults looks amazing, so smooth and fluent. I know Maclaren also run a stepped nose but I am hoping they wont have that on their car this year.
hope its fast though
Newfangled (@newfangled)
22nd February 2017, 14:18
Oh great, another silver car. Following on from the predominately black Renault yesterday, the inevitably silver Mercedes tomorrow, and the white Williams (admittedly, the lesser of the greyscale evils). Can the FIA force through a regulation that mandates each team must nominate at least one primary/secondary/tertiary colour to cover at least 80% of their cars’ bodywork or something? Sponsor mandated or not, it beggars belief how designers haven’t realised that attractive paintwork draws the eye to a car, and, in all likelihood, improves visibility of sponsorship. Black and grey don’t look chic or sexy–it just looks dull and boring, and has been done to death.
Lewisham Milton
22nd February 2017, 14:18
They’ve gone to town with the straight edges, it must be right up at the maximum height all the way along.
Not pretty but I bet it’s effective. Lots of sculpted and twiddly bits painted black lower down.
thegamer23
22nd February 2017, 14:18
It’s horrifing.
But at least, very different from what we’ve seen so far, the front section is pretty interesting.
AntoineDeParis (@antoine-de-paris)
22nd February 2017, 14:20
Sidepods look really underdeveloped in this launch spec. Work in progress…
ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
22nd February 2017, 14:20
Ugliest yet, by far!
The phallic noses return… Looks kind of ok side on, borderline ‘interesting’, but head-on… yucko!
Asanator (@asanator)
22nd February 2017, 14:20
Wow, Ugliest so far by far!!! That ‘shark fin’ needs some rigging and paint.
Hugh (@hugh11)
22nd February 2017, 14:21
What the _ is that? Awful… Glad Hulkenberg’s gonna be in the Renault instead of that monstrosity
Hugh (@hugh11)
22nd February 2017, 14:23
At least now if the McLaren’s orange, it’ll be the only orange car. Was worried the Force India would have more orange on and steal McLaren’s colour.
Asanator (@asanator)
22nd February 2017, 14:55
HAHA….knowing McLaren the FI will still have the most orange on it on the grid. At most they are just going to change the Red stripe to orange no?
Backwards (@backwards)
22nd February 2017, 14:22
Thanks, but no thanks.
The Last Pope (@the-last-pope)
22nd February 2017, 14:24
You cannot call THAT a sharkfin. If you are going to have what looks like an advertising board on the back of the car, you might as well use it as such and have something on there. Being completely blank and the same colour as the rest of the car, it just looks awful.
Very lazy livery. Only the nose design is interesting.
Pyon (@pyon)
22nd February 2017, 14:28
lol cannot agree more with the advertising board. Clearly feel the same way, kind of like a guy ducked taped that in before the launch because it was present on the Sauber & Renault.
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
22nd February 2017, 14:30
It looks like a very heavy sailboat painted in an unimaginative silver-grey tint.
eljueta (@eljueta)
22nd February 2017, 14:26
That is a very sad paintjob.
eljueta (@eljueta)
22nd February 2017, 14:27
looks like a poor man’s mercedes, which isn’t far from the truth. I wonder if they’re legally coerced to keep X% of silver on the livery.
Mikhail (@zukman)
22nd February 2017, 14:26
It’s strange that S-duck had gone. Clearly step back from the last year’s car.
Mikhail (@zukman)
22nd February 2017, 14:27
* S-duct
MacLeod (@macleod)
22nd February 2017, 20:45
It’s still there just a bit lower there is a picture showing ducts coming from the opening of the nose to the part benneth the suspension. And the bump hides active suspension?
N
22nd February 2017, 14:27
Stepped and finger nose, i’ve just vommed a little
Ed Marques (@edmarques)
22nd February 2017, 14:28
I really like the other ones so far.
This not so much.
Livery is awful.
Gary
22nd February 2017, 14:29
Where are the lines and cleats for furling and unfurling that mainsail on the back? Are Perez and Ocon going to have to port tack and starboard tack on the long straights?
Newfangled (@newfangled)
22nd February 2017, 14:31
Apologies for the double post, but boy, I don’t think these cars are attractive at all (I wasn’t particularly dismissive of the last set of regulations bar the occasionally hideous noses, which FI have retained here). The rear wing looks out of proportion and pointlessly slanted for ‘aggressive’ effect, the added overall length is cumbersome, the godawful sails/shark fins have returned, the cars aren’t really wider–we just have more floor–and on the whole, they mostly look like compromised messes of design. Even the wider tyres don’t look right, bloated as they are. It seems like I’m in the minority, but I’m really turned off by the 2017 cars so far.
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
22nd February 2017, 14:38
+1
Gary
22nd February 2017, 15:16
Agree, although I’ve been turned off by F1 design since 2009
jimmi cynic
22nd February 2017, 20:45
+100 kilos!
Simeon Simeonoff (@simeonoff)
22nd February 2017, 14:31
Wow, compared to the Renault, this looks like it’s from another championship. Absolutely horrendous all around, as if all of the design team stood in from of the board and thought “hm, how can we make this any uglier?!?”.
Kie
22nd February 2017, 14:35
+ 1
Illusive (@illusive)
22nd February 2017, 14:32
Ugliest car yet, they couldn’t find a better livery? Should have used more orange and green. They have used a uglier version of the nostrils. The shark fin is horrendous. I have liked the shark fins so far in 2017 cars but this makes me puke.
Kie
22nd February 2017, 14:35
Looks like a classic backmarker livery, in fact a bit of like the 1998 Minardi. Lots of silver and the Sponsors are too small and/or aren’t balanced very well.
http://img05.deviantart.net/3fdb/i/2013/176/0/d/minardi_m198_launch__1998__by_f1_history-d6an5rn.jpg
Racecar is racecar backwards
22nd February 2017, 14:43
Wow look how small the cars were then
SM
22nd February 2017, 14:37
It’s like someone got last years car, repainted it in this years livery, then got the existing small engine cover fin and pulled back really hard. Then they grabbed the nose and pulled forward really hard until the front of the nostrils broke, then someone sat on the rear wing and voila! We have the 2017 car…
tiger84
22nd February 2017, 14:37
PUAJJ!! is awful
Electrolite
22nd February 2017, 14:38
A blank canvas for a livery, and that was the absolute best they could come up with?
Deej92 (@deej92)
22nd February 2017, 14:39
People have to remember that this is a launch. There is so much development to go into these cars that they may even look somewhat different going to Melbourne compared to now. This is by no means the end result.
Pyon (@pyon)
22nd February 2017, 14:45
VJ said (before the launch) that the car is almost complete and the vast majority of it will make it to Barcelona (95%). I hope between now and Melbourne they get some design inspiration because this is the worst looking F1 car I have see those last 20 years.
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
22nd February 2017, 18:45
Nah, that title still belongs to the 2014 Caterham imho
Christopher (@twiinzspeed)
22nd February 2017, 14:40
Is it just me or does the picture quality look like they were take with a 10 year old flip phone?? The nose tip is ok,(unique) but the step is awful looking. I too am no fan of the shark fins. I know they help aero, but the side view of the cars would be way better(read more agressive) with out the billboards IMO. :)
Hans (@hanswes)
22nd February 2017, 14:40
Shark F1
The Last Pope (@the-last-pope)
22nd February 2017, 15:20
Sheet Metal F1
Tommy Scragend
22nd February 2017, 14:41
Well I hope it’s quick, because it needs something to redeem it. It’s as ugly as sin.
Racecar is racecar backwards
22nd February 2017, 14:41
The sidepods look a lot “fatter” than the Sauber or Renault
RogerA
22nd February 2017, 14:44
another car with an awful sharkfin :(
Ra-Sewn
22nd February 2017, 20:10
This!
The Last Pope (@the-last-pope)
22nd February 2017, 14:45
Time for the Photoshop experts to show the team what their car could look like in a properly designed livery.
Tim-Oliver Weiß
22nd February 2017, 14:45
The ugliest car with the poorest paint job so far!
tiger84
22nd February 2017, 14:50
this car reunites the worst desings of 2012 and 2014 all in one package
Sammy
22nd February 2017, 14:51
If it looks right it will fly right and this doesn’t look right from any angle. Bet Williams are holding a party right now.
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
22nd February 2017, 18:37
In hindsight that Williams car is the best looking car so far yet!
dubsix (@dubsix)
22nd February 2017, 14:52
Shark fin needs to be edged in black with a fade would help the look a lot. The nose needs to see a plastic surgeon unfortunately.
Clem (@clemhk)
22nd February 2017, 14:57
All that stolen money VJ took at work wonder how many races he dares go to this year
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
22nd February 2017, 18:47
I think he can only go to 1 race: Silverstone. As soon as he sets foot outside of the UK he’ll get arrested and transported to India
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
22nd February 2017, 15:00
I don’t normally have a problem with the thumb noses. Not every team has them, so clearly the rules aren’t the issue. I also really liked what Force India did with the louvres on the front in recent seasons.
This though is an abomination. Desperately horrible.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
22nd February 2017, 15:03
Aesthetically this is rather unpleasant all round.
Alesici (@alesici)
22nd February 2017, 15:08
The trailing edge of the driver’s side head padding falls away so very abruptly. Surely this not only look ugly but will stall the airflow for no good reason. Not as much of a waste as the 96 Ferrari’s padding, but still strange to see.
ExcitedAbout17
22nd February 2017, 15:12
doesn’t excite me, but not the worst design either.
But that hideous shark fin just sticks out like a sore thumb!
It reminds me of the model airplanes I used to bit. Some pieces still had the off bid of plastic attached to it from the moulding process.
At least I took the effort to carefully remove it when putting the plane together!
ExcitedAbout17
22nd February 2017, 15:13
*build *odd
The Last Pope (@the-last-pope)
22nd February 2017, 15:24
Haha yes, a good analogy.
Archit (@architjain07)
22nd February 2017, 15:12
I’d wish this were a beauty competition which it is not! So rather than worrying about the shape of the nose or the step or the shark fin..it’s the performance of the car that will matter at the end and as long as FI can keep their competitive edge over other teams like they have done over the years..I love every bit of this engineering wonder!
Pyon (@pyon)
22nd February 2017, 15:16
You cannot on hand claim everywhere F1 is all about marketing and brand presentation, and in other hand design something that can only make to the horror museum.
Archit (@architjain07)
22nd February 2017, 15:28
Brand presentation equals the car performance if I am not wrong! And even if the most hideous looking ca can be on the pole every race..I am pretty sure the marketing team will have a gala team securing new sponsors! Correct me if I am wrong! Thanks!
Pyon (@pyon)
22nd February 2017, 15:37
If that is a championship winning car I would be tempted to agree with you (to some extend, coz a lot of the marketing is also done off race). However we are talking about FI there, if they finish 4th and get a few podium again this season that will be tremendous result for them in my opinion.
vibjorn
22nd February 2017, 15:15
I am happy, F1 CARS ARE BACK closer to what they should look like,
yes the cars are too long and the fishgills frontwing should have been a smaller twoplane wing
but again it`s a MASSIVE IMPROVEMENT on last year`s ugly car. and all recent F1 cars for that matter.
F1 cars haven`t looked good sice the early 90`s.
just the the wide slicks (not grooved) and the LOW wide rear wing alone makes an massive differace
how anyone can like the UGLY “f3 like” cars of recent years better is unbeliveable.
now i am looking forward to New lap records and seeing some very tired drivers after races.
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
22nd February 2017, 18:50
Except they aren’t. These cars so far are no way near the same ball park as any car pre-2009
Maciek (@maciek)
22nd February 2017, 15:16
Egads… I have to say that unfortunately that is one of the uglier cars since the duck bills… hope it’s fast.
BasCB (@bascb)
22nd February 2017, 15:58
indeed it is, yeah @maciek
Gary
22nd February 2017, 15:18
All right, that’s it: Formula One has jumped the shark.
Dim sim (@dimsim)
23rd February 2017, 1:14
Thats pretty funny :)
Mike Sanders
22nd February 2017, 15:18
Lots of negative reaction to the car, some of it I can certainly understand however this is a very basic and most likely unfinished launch car.
FI usually run S Duct’s around the area of the step is in the nose and I am betting it will appear before the tests with maybe a different panel leading to the nose.
Similarly I think the engine cover slab is a mock up, i’m betting come Barca test 1 or 2 they will have a far more sculpted Fin.
Didn’t like the livery at first but from directly in front or from the rear views it doesn’t look bad imo.
Ashwin (@redbullf1)
22nd February 2017, 15:22
Chassis to the nose blend looks strange and ugly,
I hope there’s a good reason for that shape.
Though I like how they added more silver, overall the livery looks chaotic.
Placid (@placid)
22nd February 2017, 15:29
The last photo needs a caption.
Pyon (@pyon)
22nd February 2017, 15:33
+1 ;)
ExcitedAbout17
22nd February 2017, 16:19
“Vijay, you can come out of there now. The bailiffs have left.”
AntoineDeParis (@antoine-de-paris)
22nd February 2017, 16:46
@ExcitedAbout17
oh man, lmao :)))
Ashwin (@redbullf1)
22nd February 2017, 18:35
Already a winner haha !
AceAce
23rd February 2017, 10:28
Holy Virgin of Guadalupe, look specks of green and saffron paint.
electrolite (@electrolite)
22nd February 2017, 15:40
A blank canvas, and this is the absolute best livery they could come up with?
montreal95 (@montreal95)
22nd February 2017, 15:42
Worst looking 2017 car so far. Where should I start? The nose is revolting, the step in the chassis is fugly, the livery is bland and boring, the sharkfin is the ugliest of all so far(which says a lot). From no angle it looks decent. After 2016 when I thought the FI had one of the best looking cars, this is the complete opposite. Disgusting
G. (#F1insperations) (@greggriffiths)
22nd February 2017, 15:56
@keithcollantine – do you know if there are any OFFICAL images as per Renault’s lunch yesterday?
Fran
22nd February 2017, 15:59
Interesting that this car has produced more responses than the others already launched.
The one thing I like about this car is it looks different to the others.
However overall it looks like an expensive way to carry plasterboard.
There are some lovely lines but that nose, dear oh dear.
Fran
22nd February 2017, 16:05
Perhaps its time to introduce a flat floor right to the tip of the nose?
Doug Webster
22nd February 2017, 16:08
I don’t want to be negative, but this car is just ugly.
Someone at the factory needs to be responsible for making [what is essentially] a billboard look decent before it breaks cover. I know it needs to be fast, but it’s nearly an equal failure if it looks like a fang-penis-shark. How hard is it to make a racecar look cool? Not hard.
Also, the only team without these stupid pointed noses has won going away the last three years (Merc)….so it’s not as though they are providing some enormous gain that cannot be had otherwise.
Tony Mansell
22nd February 2017, 16:10
Bit of a Steffi Graaf on that! Shark fin is an obvious fake. Its not even joined properly. Front wing spectacularly complex as is the rear of the rear wing. Amazing. But gone are the days the car shown today is what will turn up in Melbourne.
Bin the fin
Stu
22nd February 2017, 16:17
Where are the Indian colours?!! What’s with all the boring silver? With an Indian inspiration which is very colourful to say the least they could have come up with something more interesting than silver!! Needs way more green and orange.
Stu
22nd February 2017, 16:27
Also the front wings these days are way too intricate! Wish the regs would prevent these oversized monstrosities!! Should only be allowed 2 or 3 main plains. The cars these days rely way too much on aero. F1 should be going to towards mechanical grip, what relevance has aero got to anything?! Mechanical grip is much more relevant to everyday road cars if that’s the aim.
Ed
22nd February 2017, 16:29
I love the barge boards and is that a blown front axle i spy?
MacLeod (@macleod)
22nd February 2017, 20:50
That is what i wonder too. Could you have a blown diffusser and an other one in front?
bull mello (@bullmello)
22nd February 2017, 16:33
The shark fin looks like an upside down guillotine just waiting for a compliant neck.
Overall, the most disappointing reveal so far. Being a fan of FI only makes it that much more difficult. The only saving grace can be a car that scores points regardless of its ugly duckling appearance.
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
22nd February 2017, 16:35
Horrible. So far the only car I don’t like. Boring livery, horrific nose on par with the 2014 cars.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
22nd February 2017, 21:07
Agreed @ultimateuzair
Mangy Black Sheep (@mangyblacksheep)
22nd February 2017, 16:36
-Almost no green and orange, way too much silver
-The lovable ‘Nostrils’ altered to the point they look like the infamous noses of 2014
-Stepped nose
-First unsightly shark fin
Well, we’ve found our first candidate for Ugly Duckling of the Grid.
Michael Brown (@)
22nd February 2017, 16:38
I for one like that it’s brighter than the gloomy liveries of 2014-2016, but it needs actual colours. Not just silver.
PT (@pt)
22nd February 2017, 16:38
Certainly not the prettiest 2017 car, but what I like is that this actually looks wide from almost any angle, unlike the Williams, Sauber and Renault.
Andy (@andybantam)
22nd February 2017, 16:39
I think the kindest thing to say is ‘not finished yet’.
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
22nd February 2017, 16:40
A stepped nose AND a phallus. Hooray.
Rick Lopez (@viscountviktor)
22nd February 2017, 16:45
God that’s ugly.
Mark Thomson (@melthom)
22nd February 2017, 17:43
They all look the same. Is it a specseries now?
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
22nd February 2017, 17:52
Cyril manages to anger anybody, no one has respect for him. The ever calm Andrew Green had a go at Cyril. Cyril did point out that budget is going to matter even more in the development race, that’s why Haas and perhaps even Renault tried to block the early payments to SFI and others.
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
22nd February 2017, 18:57
I think so too. Early on there’s lot’s of quick gians to be made but if you don’t have the cashflow at the moment you need it, you’re screwed. From a competative standpoint I do get the veto but these things shouldn’t be in control of the teams to begin with imho. F1 should work on making the series as a whole bigger and better and leave the competition to the R&D engeneers and drivers out on track in stead of in the bureaucracy
banana88x (@banana88x)
22nd February 2017, 18:08
I liked the white livery from 2011-2013 as well as the more blackish livery from 2014-2016 but this??
Duncan Snowden
22nd February 2017, 18:38
I still think the 2008 testing livery was the best they ever came up with. (Not a great photo at Wikipedia there, but it still looks pretty good.) Don’t know why they didn’t stick with it. I love that deep maroon colour.
Joka
22nd February 2017, 18:12
Uhmm. No
Paul
22nd February 2017, 18:33
Well, not a looker, but it does give the impression it might be quick…
Grammo (@grammo)
22nd February 2017, 19:09
Looks to me like they have done a lot of home work. An aerodynamic package that has been designed rather than copied
AceAce
22nd February 2017, 19:21
Needs more black. Way too much Saffron and Green.
Kenny
22nd February 2017, 19:28
Same question I had re: the Renault “shark fin”:
Will that present a problem with strong cross winds?
Billys (@bilarxos)
22nd February 2017, 19:45
Ugly, the nose is something “back to the future” look!
Telvee32 (@telvee32)
22nd February 2017, 19:57
Ron Dennis to Force India, you heard it here first!
John H (@john-h)
22nd February 2017, 20:49
Why are the cars so long? Front and rear view they look fantastic, then you see them in perspective and they look like last year’s cars.
Jorge Olivier
22nd February 2017, 21:58
I think because they came with the fantastic idea that long cars with angled wings will “look fast”.
Damon (@damon)
22nd February 2017, 21:22
The nose looks exactly like those of the F1 cars I designed as a kid in the 90’s :) It’s satisfying to see my ideas for real, 20 years later.
imamsukoco
23rd February 2017, 2:23
Don’t like stepped Nose, and first I saw inlet radiator is minimize (in good way of design) but then the sidepod is very bulky .. are they (Merc) engine need more cooling for additional grip this year?
Strangely Brown (@irukaviking)
23rd February 2017, 3:13
It’s horrendous in the most grotesque of ways. I can’t think of a single positive to say about the car.
However, personally, I like that fact that it’s super ugly and I hope the ugliest on the grid. They’re probably my least favourite team and I’m not VJM’s biggest fan either.
Still……purely from a racing perspective, I hope it’s fast. The more fast cars the better!
smudgersmith1 (@smudgersmith1)
23rd February 2017, 6:16
Trying to count how many wings it has on the front, but I lost it around 50 !
Any ideas?
praxis (@praxis)
23rd February 2017, 7:28
Force India usually have one of the prettiest cars & liveries on the grid. This one’s probably not….
Ddd
23rd February 2017, 8:03
How much one wheel weight this year?
Scottie (@scottie)
23rd February 2017, 8:57
It’s interesting to me how the Airbox on a lot of cars is growing this season compared to last.
You’ll see on the Renault and now the Force India, how the width of the airbox behind the drivers helmet seems so much bigger than previous seasons.
This could be a reflection of more air going through and around the wider airbox, but then how did Mercedes manage to package their systems so much more effectively LAST season?! It really enables the rear wing and it’s associated airflow (everything at the back of the car) to be much more stable. Let alone a bit higher CoG.
It’ll be interesting to see how teams develop their cooling systems through the start of the season, but it’s worrying that teams need all this space up high to mange their internal airflow!
Jorge Lardone (@jorge-lardone)
23rd February 2017, 15:59
That’s a horrendous looking car, but I hope they do well. Best wishes.