LONDON: Sahara Force India on Monday announced a partnership with Mexican state-owned petroleum giant Pemex, even as it unveiled its new car for the 2018 Formula One season that goes by the name VJM11.
Vijay Mallya, team principal and managing director of Sahara Force India, said: “The involvement of Pemex in Formula One is hugely significant.
“As one of the biggest companies in the world, it’s fitting that they have a presence on the Formula One grid through their partnership with our team.”
The Pemex logos were visible on the wing mirrors of the VJM11 when drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon pulled the covers off their 2018 season car in Barcelona earlier on Monday.
With Pemex coming on board, the overarching domination of Mexican brands (Perez is also supported by Mexican companies) associated with the Silverstone-based team, which has finished fourth overall for the last two years, becomes even more pronounced.
And while Force India is keeping everyone guessing as to what name they will race under this season, SportzPower has this suggestion. A name that has an association with tequila, a drink which Mexico is known for, AND links back to liquor baron Mallya, would fit the bill to a T.
Force India chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer told Reuters on the first day of testing with the VJM11 car at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya that they had a new name in mind but gave no details.
He said it was “more than likely” to be changed before the first race of the season in Australia on March 25. The team had previously said such a change could happen before the start of testing.
As for the new car, VJM11 has a new livery, that incorporates last year’s pink, magenta and silver colour combination. The new colour scheme gets more white on the nose-cone, engine cover and rear wing and around the cockpit.
Commenting on the 2018 car, Szafnauer said: “We worked very closely with BWT to deliver an even stronger identity for the car this year and everybody is really happy with the result. The new shade of pink is very striking and really pops out.”
Andrew Green, Force India technical director, explained: “The DNA of the car is still very much that of last year’s car. We took the decision, quite a while ago, that the launch specification of the 2018 car would be based around our understanding of the 2017 car, but with all new structures required by the regulations in place. It is a starting point, a good reference from which to introduce changes quite quickly; it gives our aerodynamics department more time to develop a car for the first race in Australia, rather than having to release parts early for testing.”
Mallya, who is a fugitive from the law in India, noted: “I see no reason why we cannot consolidate our position and improve. Yes, Formula One is a very tough and competitive environment, but we are an established team with continuity in all areas of the company. We don’t take anything for granted, but we will be disappointed if we are not fighting for points at every race this year.”
