Force India VJM04 explained

The Force India VJM04 is a Formula One racing car developed by Force India for the 2011 Formula One season, the fourth car the team has made since entering the sport in 2008. The car was driven by long-time Force India driver Adrian Sutil and 2010 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters champion Paul di Resta. The car was launched online on 8 February 2011.[1] The car took the team into 6th in the Constructors' Championship with 69 points by the end of the season.

Season summary

First half

In the season-opening, Sutil finished ninth and di Resta finished in tenth, scoring points in his debut race after the Saubers were disqualified.[2]

In the, di Resta finished tenth while Sutil finished right behind in 11th, outside the points.[3]

In, di Resta qualified in Q3 for the first time, starting from eighth. Sutil meanwhile, missed out the final shootout with 11th.[4] Unfortuanely, di Resta only managed to finish in 11th, while Sutil finished in 15th during the race.[5] Force India endured a difficult as neither driver managed to finish in the points. Sutil finished 13th while di Resta had to retire from the race after suffering from a loose wheel.[6]

The European and Canadian rounds kicked off with the scoreless, di Resta started from 16th and finished 12th ahead of Sutil finishing right behind.[7]

The team returned to scoring ways in the . Sutil was running fourth at some point. However, on lap 72, contact with Pastor Maldonado and the wall triggered an incident in which Jaime Alguersuari and Vitaly Petrov crashed and the race was red-flagged. After the restart, Sutil eventually finished seventh, while di Resta had to settle for 12th after receiving a drive-through penalty for a mistimed pass on Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari.[8]

The team was set for another points finish with di Resta qualified in 11th and Sutil in 14th for the .[9] Both drivers had to serve their respective drive-through penalties during the race, neither cars made it to the finish line as Sutil retired on lap 49 due to taking a damage from a battle with Ferrari's Felipe Massa and di Resta retiring on lap 67 due to a puncture.[10]

Sutil bounced back at the scorching hot with a ninth-place finish while di Resta finished in frustrating 14th.[11] The team went scoreless in the, Sutil missed out with 11th while di Resta finished his home race in a distant 15th.[12] Sutil took his joint-best result of the season with a sixth-place finish in front of the home crowd in the . Di Resta endured another difficult weekend as the Briton finished 13th.[13]

At the, di Resta finally scored points for the first time since Malaysia with a strong seventh-place finish. Teammate Sutil finished outside the points in 14th.[14]

Second half

The season resumed after the summer break with the . Sutil took a strong seventh-place finish for the first race of the second half of the season.[15] Di Resta took damage after Timo Glock made contact in the middle stages, however, di Resta recovered from his poor qualifying session to finish 11th.[16]

In Italy, the team was on course for a points-finish contention with di Resta lining up from 11th after being beaten to Q3 by Renault's Bruno Senna.[17] Sutil qualified right behind di Resta in 12th. Di Resta took eighth in the race while Sutil retired with a hydraulics issue.[18]

Both cars made it into Q3 in Singapore, with Sutil starting from ninth and di Resta from tenth due to the team being content enough not to send the drivers out for the final shootout.[19] The team went on to score their first double points-finish of the season with di Resta achieving career-best sixth and Sutil in eighth.[20]

Sutil outqualified di Resta in Japan as the former started from 11th while the latter started from 12th.[21] The drivers were unable to progress from their starting grid and finished the race in the position they started.[22]

Team principal Vijay Mallya was confident that the team could snatch fifth from Renault's hands in the last four rounds.[23] Both drivers made it into Q3, rounding off the fifth row in Korea.[24] It was Di Resta who scored the team's sole points in the race with tenth-place finish while Sutil ended the afternoon outside the points by finishing 11th.[25]

During the team's home race at the inaugural, Sutil finished ninth after having a battle with his teammate midway through the race. Di Resta finished the race in 13th.[26] [27]

Force India entered the penultimate round in Yas Marina with a good form after both drivers made it into Q3.[28] What follows was the team's second double points-finish with Sutil finishing eighth and Di Resta in ninth during the race.[29]

The team's final double points-finish at the final round was ultimately not enough to overtake Renault's 73 points for fifth with only four points separating them.[30]

Sponsorship and livery

The livery were not many that changed by retaining the same colour and redesigned graphics. Retaining sponsors including Whyte & Mackay, Kingfisher, Reebok, Doublemint and Medion; until Sutil departed from the team. Sahara India Pariwar was added ahead from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix before signing the deal as their title sponsor.

The team paid tribute to the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami at the Australian Grand Prix. At the Malaysian Grand Prix, the team paid tribute to the Indian cricket team that won the 2010 ICC World Twenty20. At the Turkish Grand Prix, Whyte & Mackay was replaced with a "One in a Billion Hunt" contest. At the Indian Grand Prix, the team promoted the film Ra.One, featured on the nose cone.[31]

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantEngineTyresDrivers12345678910111213141516171819PointsWCC
Force India F1 TeamMercedes FO 108Y V8AUSMALCHNTURESPMONCANEURGBRGERHUNBELITASINJPNKORINDABUBRA696th
Sutil91115 1313 7Ret9 11 6147Ret811 11 9 86
di Resta101011Ret121218 14151371186121013 9 8
Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed >90% of the race distance.

Notes and References

  1. News: Online launch for Force India's 2011 car. 8 February 2011. 8 February 2011. Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110210190623/http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2011/2/11724.html. 10 February 2011.
  2. News: Sauber disqualified after Sergio Perez impresses. 27 March 2011. 20 October 2024. BBC Sport. Rae. Richard. https://web.archive.org/web/20230727003218/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9437693.stm. 27 July 2023. dead.
  3. News: Sebastian Vettel Wins a Tense 2011 Malaysian GP. Bleacher Report. 10 April 2011. Allen. Patrick. https://web.archive.org/web/20180702235548/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/660020-sebastian-vettel-wins-a-tense-2011-malaysian-gp. 2 July 2018. live.
  4. News: Force India bags Q3 position at Chinese GP. The New Indian Express. Shanghai. 16 April 2011. 20 October 2024.
  5. News: Hamilton stuns at Chinese Grand Prix. 17 April 2011. 20 October 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240927043911/https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2011/4/17/hamilton-stuns-at-chinese-grand-prix. 27 September 2024. live. Agence France-Presse. Al Jazeera.
  6. News: Turkish Grand Prix 2011: Force India's British driver Paul Di Resta frustrated after first F1 retirement. 8 May 2011. 20 October 2024. The Daily Telegraph. https://web.archive.org/web/20230205022327/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/8501613/Turkish-Grand-Prix-2011-Force-Indias-British-driver-Paul-Di-Resta-frustrated-after-first-F1-retirement.html. 5 February 2023. live. limited. Cary. Tom.
  7. News: No points for Force India from Spanish GP. 22 May 2011. 20 October 2024. The Times of India. Barcelona.
  8. News: Sebastian Vettel triumphs after Monaco Grand Prix drama. 29 May 2011. 20 October 2024. BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719123325/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9499975.stm. 19 July 2023. dead. Holt. Sarah. Monte Carlo.
  9. News: Vettel claims Canada pole. 12 June 2011. 20 October 2024. Eurosport.
  10. News: Di Resta surprised by penalty. 13 June 2011. 20 October 2024. Autosport. Schatten. Rob. https://web.archive.org/web/20240421191608/https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/di-resta-surprised-by-penalty-4446099/4446099/. 21 April 2024. live.
  11. News: Vettel shrugs off doubts in Valencia. The Times of Malta. Howard. Gordon. 27 June 2011. 20 October 2024.
  12. News: Alonso wins dramatic British GP. 11 July 2011. 20 October 2024. Collings. Tim. The Times of Malta.
  13. News: Lewis Hamilton wins thrilling German Grand Prix. 24 July 2011. 20 October 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20230221095150/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9547042.stm. 21 February 2023. dead. Holt. Sarah. Nürburgring.
  14. News: Jenson Button wins in Hungary as Lewis Hamilton falters. 31 July 2011. 20 October 2024. BBC Sport. Holt. Sarah. Hungaroring. https://web.archive.org/web/20220818160026/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9552843.stm. 18 August 2022. dead.
  15. News: Sebastian Vettel storms to Belgian victory. 28 August 2011. 20 October 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20230729093216/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9574946.stm. 29 July 2023. dead. Benson. Andrew. Spa-Francorchamps. BBC Sport.
  16. News: Sebastian Vettel cruises to victory at Belgian Grand Prix. 28 August 2011. 20 October 2024. The Guardian. Weaver. Paul. Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. https://web.archive.org/web/20240927034520/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/aug/28/sebastian-vettel-belgian-grand-prix. 27 September 2024. live.
  17. News: Sebastian Vettel claims pole position at the Italian Grand Prix. 10 September 2011. 20 October 2024. The Guardian. Richards. Giles. Monza Circuit.
  18. News: Sebastian Vettel cruises to dominant Italian GP victory. 11 September 2011. 20 October 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20230221095151/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9587511.stm. 21 February 2023. dead. Holt. Sarah. Monza Circuit.
  19. News: Vettel flies to 11th pole of 2011 in Singapore. 24 September 2011. 21 October 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240229175028/https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/vettel-flies-to-11th-pole-of-2011-in-singapore-4450817/4450817/. 29 February 2024. live. Beer. Matt. Autosport.
  20. News: Sebastian Vettel Leads 2011 Singapore Grand Prix Throughout to Earn Easy Victory. 25 September 2011. 21 October 2024. Bleacher Report. Allen. Patrick.
  21. News: Sebastian Vettel denies Jenson Button in Japan to claim pole – again. 8 October 2011. 22 October 2024. The Guardian. Richards. Giles. Suzuka, Mie. https://web.archive.org/web/20240501011245/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/oct/08/sebastian-vettel-jenson-button-japan. 1 May 2024. live.
  22. News: Sutil 11th, Di Resta 12th as Force India returns pointless. 9 October 2011. 22 October 2024. The Times of India. Press Trust of India. Suzuka, Mie.
  23. News: Force India optimistic about fifth place finish. 12 October 2011. 22 October 2024. The Times of India. Yeongam. Press Trust of India.
  24. News: Hamilton edges out Vettel to take pole position in Korea. 15 October 2011. 22 October 2024. News Wires. France 24. https://web.archive.org/web/20230909135839/https://www.france24.com/en/20111015-sport-hamilton-edges-out-vettel-take-pole-korea. 9 September 2023. live.
  25. News: Vettel wins Korean Grand Prix. 16 October 2011. 22 October 2024. Al Jazeera. https://web.archive.org/web/20210516010844/https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2011/10/16/vettel-wins-korean-grand-prix. 16 May 2021. live.
  26. News: Vettel cruises to victory in India. 30 October 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20230203163646/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2011-10/31/content_14006567.htm. China Daily. 22 October 2024. Greater Noida. 3 February 2023. live.
  27. News: Sebastian Vettel cruises to victory in inaugural Indian Grand Prix. 30 October 2011. 22 October 2024. The Guardian. Weaver. Paul. Buddh International Circuit. https://web.archive.org/web/20240926024100/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/oct/30/sebastian-vettel-indian-grand-prix. 26 September 2024. live.
  28. News: Fernando Alonso claims to have forgotten the pain of Abu Dhabi. 12 November 2011. 22 October 2024. The Observer. The Guardian. Weaver. Paul. Abu Dhabi. https://web.archive.org/web/20151008113207/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/nov/12/fernando-alonso-abu-dhabi. 8 October 2015. live.
  29. News: Hamilton triumphs in Abu Dhabi. 13 November 2011. 22 October 2024. Al Jazeera. European Pressphoto Agency. https://web.archive.org/web/20220518172434/https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2011/11/13/hamilton-triumphs-in-abu-dhabi. 18 May 2022. live.
  30. News: Mark Webber beats Sebastian Vettel to win season-ending Brazilian GP. 27 November 2011. 22 October 2024. BBC Sport. Benson. Andrew. São Paulo. https://web.archive.org/web/20230531020159/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9649301.stm. 31 May 2023. dead.
  31. News: The Ra.One Marketing Mania. 1 November 2011. 20 October 2024. The New York Times. Chopra. Anupama. https://web.archive.org/web/20220823082856/https://archive.nytimes.com/india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/the-ra-one-marketing-mania/. 23 August 2022. limited. live.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Force India VJM04".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.