Question: Force India is now entering its second year in the championship. How do you intend to build on the first season?
Vijay Mallya: When we started as Force India at the beginning of the 2008 season we were quite pleased with the progress we made, we were midfield until we got to Europe. We showed some early gains and I was encouraged by the progress, but then in comparison to other teams I think it’s fair to say that we flattened out. I am not saying we didn’t improve, as I have often heard people say that Force India is perhaps the most improved team in the paddock, but clearly we did not improve enough. With this view in mind I did a lot of introspection and a reality check. I found that for many reasons that I had to make some changes to the structure of the team and to bring in some suppliers and partners I hoped would help us bridge that gap. We still have much to learn as a team, but I hope that the experience we gained in 2008 sets us up properly for 2009. We have a lot to be excited about; a new drivetrain package and great new opportunities within the 2009 technical regulations.
Question: Do you think that the new regulations will benefit the team?
Vijay Mallya: There are many advantages in such a major upheaval in technical regulations. A very mature set of rules always means that teams have had the time, and in some cases huge resources, to investigate every possible solution. As a smaller team we did not have that luxury. Now we are going back to basics and having to rethink the engineering of the car completely. Some people might get it right, others might need some work throughout the season. So in that respect we are on a much more even footing.
Question: You are remaining with the same driver line-up as last year. What influenced this decision?
Vijay Mallya: Giancarlo and Adrian worked well for us in 2008. We certainly benefited from having Giancarlo’s experience and Adrian is a hungry, upcoming driver who also knows the team well. It was the best driver combination available at the time. Much has been made of our decision not to employ an Indian driver, but it was my feeling that, although there is great talent out there, it is not right for Force India at the current time. Of course at some point, from a patriotic point of view, I would love to see an Indian driver driving an Indian car and I have always said that with 1.2 billion people there must be a Lewis Hamilton in there somewhere! We will keep our eyes peeled and if, or when, the time is right, you’ll see it happen.
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