[RacingForIndia]

I think Mallya is trying to bring a decent structure to a team by naking sure that he has the right people at the right places. Whats especially significant is that he is roping in people who were employed with the former Jordan team and people who had worked together and with Mike Gascoyne.

Mallya has a drive for quality and I hope this is the beginning of a successful revival of Force India.

F1 News > Force India beefs up its technical team

or

F1 | Formula 1 - Force India ramps up tech dept - ITV Sport

[maddy42]

Hope he is able to get the best out of the team. If he gets good staff and drivers then we can expect him to be in contention in the middle order rather than the tailenders.
Lots of people expect him to hire karthikeyan but i doubt he would od it atleast now

[snaronikar]

Hope he will be able to garner up some more points next season.

[Ford_madhan]

Because of mallya's determination and attitude, i hope they will score some points next season. Meanwhile selecting right driver's are key here.

[superavi]

With Force Motors being in the news thanks to Samurai and Gurkha, this thread makes me think that it is they and not Mallya were doing something.

Even though i disagree with the name of the team, i do hope they do well.

Superavi

[2theMax]

Wondering who believes they would be on podium ???

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by 2theMax

Wondering who believes they would be on podium ???

Thats besides the point. The fact that there is an Indian team on the F1 grid for the first time ever should be sufficient for national pride and more Indian F1 viewership.

[Zensible]

With the wind tunnel testing unit going online this week and available 24 hours for Force India, they should be able to come up with a good aero package for 2008. The Spyker Team did not have this luxury.

Also, getting inputs from Fisichella, Schumacher and other experienced drivers should help them fine tune their chassis.

IMHO, Force India will be a force to reckon with in the middle order in 2008. No doubt!

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by theMAG

The fact that there is an Indian team on the F1 grid for the first time ever should be sufficient for national pride and more Indian F1 viewership.

You know something Mag, I couldn't agree with you more. Well said.

[RacingForIndia]

I have high hopes from FI. They have the GP2 nemesis of Lewis Hamilton in one race sear (Sutil) and they have probably one of the best (atleast my favourite) techies in Gascoyne. If they can achieve what Jordan could, during the late Nineties, I guess it will be a superb effort and something which we all can be truly proud of.

[merve_extreme]

Lets be realistic,Force India is going nowhere.They may surpass SuperAguri and ToroRosso though.That's about it.

They may get a point somewhere if there are retirements.There is no chance they will compete with likes of Ferrari,Mclaren,BMW,Renault and Williams.Even Honda and to a lesser extent Toyota will make a step forward.

Originally Posted by theMAG

Thats besides the point. The fact that there is an Indian team on the F1 grid for the first time ever should be sufficient for national pride and more Indian F1 viewership.

My Friend there is no pride in coming last.Atleast not for me.There may be some takers at the start of the season,the noobs(especially the News Media) who think any car can win but as the season progresses the interest will vanish fast.

[RacingForIndia]

Every team that’s on the grid had to start from scratch. I agree that there’s no pride in coming last, but competing on a global stage is the first step towards recognition. If FI gets enough sponsors, I believe they have the driver and the technical team to get decent results. Once the results start coming in, the moolah will flow.
Cannot imagine FI to compete with the top 4-5 teams but they will certainly give the midfielders a run for their money, towards the end of the season.

[merve_extreme]

Originally Posted by RacingForIndia

Every team that’s on the grid had to start from scratch.

You think so.
NO.F1 was used to running in pre traction control era(2000) and using a common ECU is not a performance disadvantage it only takes time to adapt.Even the Ferrari F2008 is going to be an evolution of the F2007, FI are also using the same chassis as used last year,the F8-VII.

[RacingForIndia]

What I meant was that even Ferrari or McLaren had to start from scratch someday. Now they are established teams.
If anything a common ECU will benefit the weaker teams and the ban on TC will be good too. Engines will be more reliable hence the teams can worry about the aero and mechanical grip. I believe the top guys will now spend tons on developing super gear boxes and suspension systems as thats one area where improvement is not restricted.

[merve_extreme]

Originally Posted by RacingForIndia

What I meant was that even Ferrari or McLaren had to start from scratch someday. Now they are established teams.

Thats true.But most of them have decades of experience.Even factory backed teams like Toyota are struggling.

Mechanical grip will be of paramount significance in the future especially after 2009 when aerodynamics will be curtailed.For mechanical grip the chassis is very important,the F8-VII is poor in that respect.