Adrian Sutil angered by Renault pitlane mistake

Force India's Adrian Sutil condemned Renault over the pitlane error that put him out of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Renault released Robert Kubica too early just as Sutil was driving into his pit entry box, resulting in a collision between the pair.

"It was definitely unsafe from their part," said Sutil.

"A real shame as it's my first DNF [Did Not Finish] since Australia, and even more disappointing as it wasn't our issue," added the German.

Chaos unfolded in the pit lane on lap 15 following the emergence of the safety car while a piece of debris from the car of Sutil's team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi's was cleared from the track.

The majority of the drivers immediately dived into the pits for a change of tyres, and Kubica's lollipop man
gave him the all-clear too soon.

"There wasn't anything I could do," Sutil added. "They released him into my path and I just crashed into him, and my car was damaged too badly to continue."
Kubica was initially able to return to the track, only to be handed a 10-second stop-go penalty for an unsafe release from the pits for which Renault were later fined $50,000.

The Polish driver failed to express any sympathy for Sutil, but rued his own exit from the race a few laps later.
"I saw the lollipop go up and I started to go but unfortunately we collided, forcing me to retire with damage to the front suspension," he said.
"It would have been nice to have at least finished the race because there are so many Polish fans here.

"Looking at how the race evolved, we could probably have got a good result."

Red Bull faces biggest challenge yet in Canada

It is two years since the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal last hosted a Formula One Grand Prix.
Welcome back, to a race seemingly always packed with drama and incident.
This weekend the initial focus of attention will be less on the cars, but on the body language of the Red Bull Racing drivers. Quite simply after the “Istan-Bulls-Up”, the team faces the biggest challenge of its five year history.
Their car is the class of the field — a Red Bull has been on the front row of the starting grid for every Grand Prix this season — and their two drivers are proven race-winners and championship contenders.

Yet if their run of success is to continue, they need to reassert discipline across the entire team.
The debates will rage for months over Webber and Vettel’s respective actions. But the outbursts by Red Bull Racing driver development manager Dr. Helmut Markko inflamed rather than defused the pressures in the Istanbul paddock and undermined the authority of team principal Christian Horner.
That Markko blamed Webber for the incident and took sides with Vettel isn’t too surprising. Markko was the man who “discovered” Vettel and with the aid of Red Bull funding, assisted him into Formula One.

Frankly, having supervised the spending of millions of dollars of Red Bull money on funding a series of young drivers who largely failed to make it at the top level, Vettel’s success has probably kept Markko in a job. The term “meal ticket” springs to mind.
Markko’s comments demonstrate the most dangerous fall-out that could come from the Istanbul incident; the creation of factions within the team. Remember Alonso and Hamilton at McLaren in 2007? Their animosity created a rift which tore the team apart.

It could, heaven forbid, be even be worse. The name of the circuit which hosts this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix reminds us of a chilling warning from history.
In 1982 Gilles Villeneuve felt that team-mate Didier Pironi had tricked him out of victory by reneging on a pre-race agreement and diving past as he was cruising to a Ferrari 1-2 in the San Marino Grand Prix.

The Ferrari drivers’ rivalry became a bitter feud. In qualifying for the next race, on a wet track at Zolder in Belgium, the pair were 1-2 on the grid, but Villeneuve set out on one final lap, determined to outqualify Pironi at all costs. In blinding spray, the Ferrari hit a slower car and Villeneuve died.
This weekend, the phenomenal speed of the McLarens may prove critical to beating the Red Bulls on Montreal’s long straights.
McLaren precedents certainly look good. Hamilton scored his maiden victory here in 2007 and before retiring after tailgating Kimi Raikkonen in the pitlane (oops!) in 2008, he had dominated the race from pole position.
Expect an equally close-fought battle between Mercedes GP, Renault and Ferrari for the next slots.
Their cars don’t seem to quite have the aerodynamic refinement of the front-runners, but their battle will be no less intriguing.
Force India seem destined to battle at the tail of the top ten and there are rumours of frustration within the team at the performance of Vitantonio Liuzzi. If the Italian were to be dropped, who would be in?
Team test-driver Paul di Resta lacks race experience, so how about Karun Chandhok, who now has plenty of race practice, but is wasted in the uncompetitive HRT car?
The rumour-mill is increasingly hinting that Karun might be given the chance. I personally hope so, an Indian in a Force India car would dominate the headlines across the subcontinent and may prove just the fillip Force India needs!

Steve Slater, ESPN

Barichello wins Italian GP.

Button back as Barrichello wins

Rubens Barrichello headed Jenson Button to a Brawn one-two in a tense Italian Grand Prix as the Englishman scored his first podium finish in six races.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who started on pole but was beaten on strategy, lost third place when he crashed on the last lap trying to chase down Button.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen took the place ahead of Force India's Adrian Sutil.
Brawn's title rivals Red Bull had a bad day as Mark Webber crashed on the first lap while Sebastian Vettel was eighth.
Button has had his championship lead cut by two points to 14 from second-placed Barrichello, while Vettel sits 12 points behind the Brazilian with Webber 2.5 points behind his team-mate in fourth.
Forty points remain available with four races remaining.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso pushed hard throughout the race to finish fifth, just ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.

After starting back in 15th, Nick Heidfeld did well to score two points for struggling BMW Sauber with a seventh place.
Hamilton was eventually classified in 12th after crashing out on the exit kerb of the first Lesmo on the last lap having been breathing down Button's neck for the final third of the race as he desperately tried to get in a position to overtake his compatriot.
The 13th grand prix of 2009 was a tale of two races within a race - pole-sitter Hamilton trying to gain enough time to stay ahead of the Brawns knowing he needed to stop twice, while they competed against each other while making sure to keep Hamilton at bay.
In-form Barrichello - who claimed his second win in three races - made a brilliant start, jumping into fourth from fifth as Kovalainen slipped down the field before consolidating that with an aggressive first lap.
That period was also critical for Button who produced a clever manoeuvre on Kovalainen, whom he overtook on the inside of the second Lesmo to put him back in a position to challenge for a win throughout the rest of the race.

Seven out of last 10 Italian Grands Prix have been won from pole position but, while Hamilton opened up a decent gap before his first stop of the race using his Kers power-boost button on the long straights, the Brawns stayed in touch as they ran solidly in fourth and fifth place.
Hamilton's car did not ultimately have the pace of the Brawns whose strategy - fuelling heavier in qualifying to use just one stop in the race itself - proved to be a shrewd move.
When he made his quick second pit stop on lap 34 he came out behind Button still in contention, with Barrichello leading, but - despite making up four tenths of a second on the championship leader during some laps - he could not get close enough.
The veteran Brazilian, meanwhile, was firmly in control in the latter stages with a relatively safe gap between himself and Button - while his decision to stick with an engine which had briefly caught fire at the last race in Belgium was fully vindicated.
"It feels great. I have no words," he said.
"I had a tough night, we didn't know if the gearbox would be OK and there are some concerns. But it should last

"It was great to have such a good start. The first lap made my race. There will be times when we don't have to worry about the Kers [energy power-boost button] cars, but with the straight lines here you do."
The championship battle now looks to be a two-man battle between two team-mates - a rare thing in a sport where one driver is usually favoured over the over as the season pans out - after a poor race seemed to blow any title hopes for struggling Red Bull.
Webber, who started 10th, went off at the Della Roggia turn after tangling with BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica in what the Australian described as a 'racing incident' - meaning it was not the Pole's fault as he was genuinely challenging for position.
"This gives my championship chances a blow, for sure," said Webber. "I haven't scored points in three races, though this is my first DNF of the season.
"We've still had a great middle run in the championship but we need to bounce back from this. We need to finish the season as strongly as we can but it's been a tough period for us."

Button's finish, with clinched Brawn's fourth one-two of the year, was a decent response to critics who have been constantly questioning whether he has been struggling to deal with the pressure of leading the championship after a relatively barren recent run.
"It's nice to be back up here," he said.
"I'd like to be where Rubens is sat but he did a better job today. I've lost two points to Rubens but gained seven on Vettel.
"We're going to take it I'm sure right down to the wire...for me it was a great result."
German driver Sutil collected his first points of the season by finishing fourth while also handing increasingly-impressive Force India a consecutive second place over the past two races.

Force India ditches Ferrari and goes to McLaren

They like Black more than Red

Shocker - the Force India Formula One Team dumped their red Ferrari engine like a hot cake and sauntered along to swipe the black engine of rival Mclaren.
Apparently Force India was pleased to announce a major new partnership that will propel the team forward for the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship and beyond; a ground-breaking technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies (which is a company wholly owned by the McLaren Group) and with Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines.

In a unique long term deal, the Force India Formula One Team VJM02 cars will be powered by engines designed and built by Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, the first time that the legendary manufacturer has supplied another chassis constructor other than McLaren. Additionally, Force India will have access to the McLaren Group's network of bespoke suppliers that has supported this year's World Championship victory.

McLaren Applied Technologies will additionally supply the Force India Formula One Team cars with McLaren Racing gearboxes and hydraulic systems and will provide operational support to ensure Force India functions at its highest possible level.

The Force India Formula One Team also plans to fit its cars with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) that is currently being developed by Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines and McLaren Racing (which is also a company wholly owned by the McLaren Group).

In conjunction with aerospace company EADS - which, like McLaren and Mercedes, is also a global leader in its field - Force India Formula One Team announced that it will soon be expanding the computational fluid dynamics capability of its Brackley Aero Centre facility.
Dr. Mallya was of course, ecstatic: "McLaren and Mercedes-Benz are two of the most famous names in motorsport history, having achieved great success in Grand Prix racing over many years, and most recently, a superb victory in probably the most dramatic World Championship Formula 1 has seen.

"These new resources and developments will provide an enormous boost to our technical armoury and, as a result, we have high hopes of making good progress in 2009 and beyond.

Force India - Hoping for a Miracle

It is difficult to pinpoint whether it is the lack of fluency in English or this writer’s perceived reticence that stops Giancarlo Fisichella from giving eloquent replies.
He uses words like ‘difficult’, ‘confident’ and ‘challenge’ repetitively. His Italian accent is on the slighter side though his body language is often pronounced when he shrugs his drooping shoulders as he grapples with words.
The 35-year-old Force India driver was here to be part of a promotional event, for his sponsors, a day after he completed the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. And Fisichella says it has pushed him beyond limits.
“I am exhausted. Both physically and mentally,” he says. “As soon as I finished my race yesterday I had to rush to my hotel, take a shower and fly to this country.”
“But it is a pleasure to be here and I will be going back home tonight to prepare for the last race of the season,” he adds.

Indeed the last race of the season is the final shot for Fisichella to live up to his own record. This will be his first season after 12 years without a single point to his name.
“Why no point?” Fisichella confirms the question. “Well, there is one more race left.”
This quiet confidence is seemingly something of an undercurrent; it hardly gushes loud. The racer, however, feels that having to prove himself season after season has made it pretty basic for him.

“There is no big change to the way I approach my driving,” says Fisichella. “Everyday, I sit in my car and push it to the maximum and that’s what my attitude is and that’s what I believe in.”
Before his stint with Force India, Fisichella has driven for the likes of Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber and Renault. A former teammate of Fernando Alonso, he says joining Force India is not a comedown for him.
“I knew that the present year is going to be difficult before I signed the contract,” Fisichella says. “But I believe in their programme. And I believe that the future is going to be better.”
But when pressed if it is a new low for somebody who was Alonso’s teammate, all he says is it was not easy. “Coming here after racing with Renault wasn’t easy. The car wasn’t easy too.
“I was aware of all this. But I take it as a challenge and feel that next year, and hopefully with a new car, it will be different.” Also, the Engine Rules Freeze comes into effect next season and that he says puts all cars on some sort of level platform. “Next season even the small teams can hope to do well.” Fisichella says he believes in part Force India owner Vijay Mallya. “Mallya has brought F-1 to India and is pouring in a lot of money. His ambition is to have a podium finish in 2010.”
As to just how realistic that ambition is lost in the veils of the future. Right now, Fisichella can only be optimistic. “It is difficult but anything is possible. This year (Toro) Rosso won in Monza and I won the Brazilian GP driving a Jordan car, which wasn’t great. I see no reason why we cannot have a podium finish in 2010.”
When asked how Indian is Force India, he says: “Force India factory is set in England and we have lot of Englishmen and Italian engineers working. But it is owned by an Indian and so is an Indian team.” Err… he seems to have forgotten the Mol family which has a 50% stake.

Team Force India's VJM01 makes track debut

Force India's 2008 Formula One car made its track debut at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya on Monday, less than three weeks before the start of the season in Australia.

However, technical head Mike Gascoyne said the late appearance of the VJM01, named after Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya and Dutch entrepreneurs Jan and Michiel Mol who last year bought the Spyker team and renamed it, would not be a disadvantage.

"Over the winter we have really been working with the new drivers and we've certainly shown a new level of competitiveness, which is something that will benefit us going forward," he said in a statement.

"There has been a lot of work going on in the background and we should look to go to Australia and be very reliable, especially in the first few races and pick up whatever we can," he added.

Force India have recruited 35-year-old former Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella, winner of three Grands Prix in a career spanning nearly 200 races, as teammate to inexperienced German Adrian Sutil.

Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, who competed for Toro Rosso last year, has joined as test driver with an eye on a future race seat.

Spyker scored just one point with Sutil last year, finishing last but one in the constructors' championship thanks to McLaren being stripped of all their points for a spying controversy.

"Last year was very frustrating but now we are in a position to move forward from a much more competitive baseline," said Gascoyne.

"Certainly you will see that with the next new development we should look to racing properly with the midfield as soon as possible."

The new car is based on the version of the Spyker F8-VII that was introduced at last year's Italian Grand Prix in September, with aerodynamic and mechanical updates to be tested at the Circuit de Catalunya this week.

"Aerodynamically there has been a complete rework of the car," said Gascoyne. "With our two wind tunnels in Brackley and Italy now operating full time, we have been able to make a lot of progress in the aero department."

Team Force India Unveils New Team