- Force India
Force India to delay 2015 car debut until second test
Force India will run its 2014 car in Jerez and wait until the second test in Barcelona before unveiling its 2015 challenger.
The team is set to unveil its 2015 livery in Mexico on Wednesday but will use the VJM07 between February 1-4. It will then wait until the February 19-22 test in Barcelona to debut the VJM08 but Force India does not think it is a hindrance to wait so long before switching to its 2015 car.
Lotus missed the first test last year and spent the whole season on the back foot but Force India's technical director Andrew Green says that was a unique situation as it was the first season of the new V6 turbo era.
"There is an argument to say you are much better off using those three weeks to move the car along as far as development is concerned, and then rolling out at Barcelona," Green told Autosport. "There are advantages and disadvantages to both. It's not clear-cut like it was [in 2014]. [Last year] you had to do the first test with the new power unit and the new chassis; you just had to get miles on the car. It's not that critical [this season]."
Green also thinks the team will benefit from delaying the introduction of its new challenger as it assesses the lessons learned at the end of last season.
"It means the things we tested and learned about at the last races and in the [Abu Dhabi] test could actually get on the car for the start of next year, rather than it missing the boat and ending up on as an upgrade. Or even not on an upgrade, because if you don't have the latitude to design those parts in, you box yourself in and they never go on. The later you can leave it, the better."
"In the last few weeks [of 2014], we were on quite a steep learning curve, which makes you think you should hold back. It would be a much harder decision if the tyres were going to be proper 2015 race tyres at Jerez, but because they're not it is a bit of a shakedown test."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
