I have a good feeling about Force India, in spite of the team's awkward name. There are excellent signs emanating from the revitalized outfit, not the least of which is the news today that Vijay Mallya, co-owner with Michiel Mol, has put $50 million more in the budget than last year, with the promise of more if needed.
Another encouraging factor has been the amount of publicity generated by the team over the holiday period. Traditionally a time of little F1 news, Force India has kept the media busy with speculation over their driver choices and advertising on Indian television. The cynic might say that this is a big fuss about nothing but it does illustrate how serious and extensive Mallya's ambitions for the team are.
Funding has always been the Achilles heel of the small F1 team but it seems that the Jordan/Midland/Spyker successor is getting this right before anything else. As well as Mallya's investment, the team is perfectly placed to tap into India's enormous potential for sponsorship and Mallya is already talking to several interested corporations.
The ambition spreads far into the future, too, with talk of the contracted drivers acting as talent scouts for gifted Indian go-kart competitors. One can feel the desire behind such a scheme, an intention to follow in the footsteps of Ron Dennis in picking a talented youngster very early on and shepherding him through the years into final championship contention.
With the finances sorted out so happily, Force India stands at least a chance of moving up the grid to the midfield, and perhaps even further in the future. Money is not the only requisite for success, as Toyota have so effectively demonstrated, but it is a necessay ingredient. Add to that the fact the team is still essentially the old Jordan team, with the excellent addition of Mike Gascoyne, and it would seem that personnel is not going to be a problem either.
The driver choice is sound, combining one of the bright new F1 talents, Adrian Sutil, with the experience and ability of Giancarlo Fisichella. Vitantonio Liuzzi as test driver is not a bad option either and he will be ready to step into a race seat should either of the contracted drivers fail.
Perhaps most important of all, Mallya is keeping his feet on the ground, aware that success will come only after a long and hard battle. He is not expecting miracles but is determined to see the team succeed in the long run.
All new teams start off with high hopes but rarely do they have as much cause for optimism as do Force India. In fact, it is hard to imagine more favorable circumstances surrounding any new entry to F1. I think we will see steady but sure progress from this team in future seasons - perhaps even a return to the glory of Jordan's greatest years.
Another encouraging factor has been the amount of publicity generated by the team over the holiday period. Traditionally a time of little F1 news, Force India has kept the media busy with speculation over their driver choices and advertising on Indian television. The cynic might say that this is a big fuss about nothing but it does illustrate how serious and extensive Mallya's ambitions for the team are.
Funding has always been the Achilles heel of the small F1 team but it seems that the Jordan/Midland/Spyker successor is getting this right before anything else. As well as Mallya's investment, the team is perfectly placed to tap into India's enormous potential for sponsorship and Mallya is already talking to several interested corporations.
The ambition spreads far into the future, too, with talk of the contracted drivers acting as talent scouts for gifted Indian go-kart competitors. One can feel the desire behind such a scheme, an intention to follow in the footsteps of Ron Dennis in picking a talented youngster very early on and shepherding him through the years into final championship contention.
With the finances sorted out so happily, Force India stands at least a chance of moving up the grid to the midfield, and perhaps even further in the future. Money is not the only requisite for success, as Toyota have so effectively demonstrated, but it is a necessay ingredient. Add to that the fact the team is still essentially the old Jordan team, with the excellent addition of Mike Gascoyne, and it would seem that personnel is not going to be a problem either.
The driver choice is sound, combining one of the bright new F1 talents, Adrian Sutil, with the experience and ability of Giancarlo Fisichella. Vitantonio Liuzzi as test driver is not a bad option either and he will be ready to step into a race seat should either of the contracted drivers fail.
Perhaps most important of all, Mallya is keeping his feet on the ground, aware that success will come only after a long and hard battle. He is not expecting miracles but is determined to see the team succeed in the long run.
All new teams start off with high hopes but rarely do they have as much cause for optimism as do Force India. In fact, it is hard to imagine more favorable circumstances surrounding any new entry to F1. I think we will see steady but sure progress from this team in future seasons - perhaps even a return to the glory of Jordan's greatest years.