Will Force India improve in 09

[Dare]

Ali and me hope so


http://www.planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3213_3968575,00.html

[cosworth151]

The team has lacked stability in ownership and finance over the past few years. Mallya seems to have cured that. Gascoyne had been a big help, too.

Hopefully they will keep Fisi and Sutil, and give them better cars next season.

[Steven Roy]

I don't think Vijay gets F1.  Catching up when the rules are static is easy.  Look at the gap from first to last now and compare it to the first day the current rules applied.  If he thinks he has an advantage because the rules are changing he doesn't understand the sport.  Just having Mike Gascoyne there is not enough.

If FIF1 are going forward who is going backwards?  STR have the same engine and presumably KERS package as FIF1 and they have Adrian Newey.  Williams seem very confident about their KERS system and less sophisticated aero will suit them down to the ground.

To me the only way FIF1 can go forward is if Honda produce a third dog in a row which they might because although Ross Brawn is there I believe they still have the same fundamental problems that produced this year's and last year's cars.

[Alianora La Canta]

Force India proved to me that they are really good at improving in 2008, due to the huge amount they made up on the opposition. Progress will slow in 2009 - a combination of the rule changes that Steven mentioned, the fact that progress is more difficult the further up the grid you go and the "sophamore syndrome" problem (which Vijay is showing early symptoms of setting himself up for). However, I still think progress will be made, and with a couple of tenths separating the different positions in the hierarchy, it won't take much progress to steal a place. But the place stolen won't necessarily be from STR or Williams, because rule changes can shake things up considerably.

I'm hoping Force India keeps the entire line-up unchanged. Not only has it proven effective so far, but the last thing you need when going into a major regulation change is to change stuff within the team as well.

[John S]

The new rules are going to create a bit of a lottery next season and I think if FiFi move foward it will be because others trip up with the new rules. By the middle of the season any big team who got it wrong will have made the necessary changes so Fifi will still be up against the bottom half of the grid by midway.

I am not sure, even with Mike Gascoigne, they can turn a tail end team into a consistant mid pack outfit in such a short period of time after all their opponents have just as good resources and more experience.

Sorry Dare and Ali but I agree with Steven the only way Fifi can move foward next year is if another team, please not Honda, produce a real barking dog.