• Force India

Force India face legal action

Force India face legal action after Italian wind tunnel operator Aerolab announced they were suing the team for breach of contract.

The company issued a statement after media reports suggested Force India were concerned that Lotus' new car resembled their VJM 01, with Lotus' technical director Mike Gascoyne the common link having previously been employed at Force India.

In a statement by Aerolab's managing director, Jean-Claude Migeot said that the Lotus rumours were "designed only to tarnish the company's reputation and professionalism and to divert attention away from the facts. The truth is that Aerolab is suing Force India for not fulfilling its obligations."

Aerolab confirmed their three-year relationship Vijay Mallya's team ended in September after "serious and persistent breaches of contract by Force India."

Gascoyne, whose Lotus team will join the grid in March 2010, denied that his chassis was based on Force India's 2009 car.

"Whereas you cannot copy anything or take anyone else's IP (intellectual property), you can use your expertise - and you will base that on what you know and what directions you know have been happening. That is what has happened," he told autosport.com.

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