Force India F1 launch new VJM06 single seater 

Written by David on February 01st, 2013 at 1:26 pmLast Update: February 01st, 2013 at 1:26 pm

The Force India F1 team unveiled today at Silverstone, their 2013 challenger, the Force India VJM06.

The Force India VJM06 is the third car to be overseen by Technical Director, Andrew Green, and builds on the strengths of the 2012 car. With stable technical rules the car is more evolution than revolution with the removal of the ‘step’ nose being the most obvious visual change.

Force India VJM06

“The VJM06 doesn’t look massively different to its predecessor, but beneath the skin we’ve looked at every detail to try and find more performance. I’ve followed the development of the car closely and I’m proud of what we have achieved. The objective now is to make sure we build on the promise of last year and have a strong start to the season,” said Force India Team Principal Vijay Mallya during the launch.

Force India VJM06

“It’s a brand new car from the ground-up – everything is new. We discussed carrying over big chunks of last year’s car, including the chassis, but decided not to. There were still some gains to be had with the chassis, so we elected to take the performance benefits. The biggest change that everybody is going to notice this year is the fairing on top of the nose to hide the ‘step’. It’s neutral as far as the car’s performance is concerned but tidies up the flow over the top of the chassis,” explained Technical Director Andrew Green.

“Seeing the car built and complete for the first time is a special feeling,” said Paul Di Resta. “I’ve followed its progress in the tunnel and it looks very impressive – aggressive and fast. Now I’m just eager to get out there and see where we stand compared to our competitors. After the winter I feel refreshed and keen to get back to business.”

The VJM06′s will be powered by Mercedes engines with the gearbox supplied by McLaren Applied Technologies for a fifth season. This will be the third season with the Mercedes KERS.

Force India VJM06 Technical Specifications:

  • Chassis: Carbon fibre composite monocoque with Zylon legality side anti-intrusion panels.
  • Front suspension: Aluminium uprights with carbon fibre composite wishbones, trackrod and pushrod. Inboard chassis mounted torsion springs, dampers and anti-roll bar assembly.
  • Rear suspension: Aluminium uprights with carbon fibre composite wishbones, trackrod and pullrod. Inboard gearbox mounted torsion springs, dampers and anti-roll bar assembly.
  • Overall height: 950mm
  • Overall length: 5100mm
  • Overall weight: 642kg (with driver, by regulations)
  • Wheels: BBS forged wheels to Sahara Force India specification
  • Engine supplier: Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains V8 2.4litre
  • KERS: Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains
  • Transmission: McLaren Racing 7-speed, semi-automatic, ‘e-shift’
  • Lubricants: Mobil 1 products
  • Spark plugs: NGK
  • Clutch: AP Racing carbon clutch
  • Tyres: Pirelli P Zero
  • Brake system: AP Racing
  • Brake material: Brembo
  • Dampers: Penske

Images © Force India F1

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