Giancarlo Fisichella is now in his 13th season in F1 will have climbed to fifth on the all-time list by the end of this season who is now in 9th on the all-time list.

Ginacarlo Fisichella said “I still feel young, I still feel happy to work in F1, to be an F1 driver. The only problem is travelling around the world all the time, but apart from that I still enjoy it. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.

“I don’t think I’ve changed much, but I hope I’m a better driver than when I started. I’ve learned quite a lot. How to manage the race, how to manage the qualifying session, and to put more attention on testing and talking with the engineers.”

Fisichella also said that he is happy to be part of Force India team, following his move from former champion team Renault at the end of 2007.

“It was a good but difficult decision,” he added. “I was moving from a top team to a new team, which in the last couple of seasons had been on the last rows.

“But so far we’ve done a fantastic job, we’ve made a big step forward, and I’m really enjoying it. It’s really encouraging. We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but we are getting closer.”

Fisichella, starting from 16th on the grid, was a victim of a first-corner accident involving Glock and Piquet, with the resulting damage ending his Force India debut. Other driver Adrian Sutil started from the pit lane and had slowly progressed to the 13th position by lap eight where his car developed a hydraulic pressure problem and bought his race to an early end.

However the team is pretty optimistic and will  now move from Australia to Malaysia for the second race of the year, with high hopes of improvements on this race result.

Drivers Quotes after the Australian Grand Prix

Adrian Sutil (car 20)
‘A big disappointment, especially when I watched the race afterwards, but it was good while it lasted. In the opening laps I could stay with the guys in front of me and could overtake to get up to 13th position, but then I had a hydraulic pressure problem. I had to go back to the pits, so at that point my race was over. We have to hope for more in Malaysia, but I think we showed an improvement over last year, particularly over the longer runs in practice, so I am confident we can really do better there.’

Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21) 
‘I am very disappointed as I lost the race at the first corner because another driver came in like a kamikaze into my car and it was very frustrating, especially considering a race like this where there was a possibility to score lots of points. It was a good opportunity and I am really disappointed. Let’s hope for more in Malaysia.’

Dr Vijay Mallya, Chairman and Managing Director 
‘I have been very pleased with this weekend, despite the frustration of going out early in this astonishing race. I was however very encouraged with the pace we showed in the practice sessions. Although qualifying was ultimately disappointing, last year in Australia this team was well off the pace, this year we were up with the midfield.

‘It was a shame we missed a point-scoring opportunity here. Overall it was an encouraging weekend and the positive is that we have another event in just one week’s time where we can try again.’

Adrian Sutil (car 20, VJM01/03)
FP3: 17th 1:27.489 (18 laps)
Q1: 19th 1:27.859 (9 laps)

Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21, VJM01/05)
FP1: 9th 1:26.682 (18 laps)
Q1: 17th 1:27.207 (9 laps)

The Grid for Australian Grand Prix is as follows

1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:26.714
2 Robert Kubica BMW 1:26.869
3 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 1:27.079
4 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:27.178
5 Nick Heidfeld BMW 1:27.236
6 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:28.527
7 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:28.687
8 David Coulthard Red Bull 1:29.041
9 Timo Glock Toyota 1:29.593
10 Sebastien Vettel Toro Rosso 0:00.000
11 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:26.173
12 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:26.188
13 Jenson Button Honda 1:26.259
14 Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1:26.413
15 Mark Webber Red Bull 0:00.000
16 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 0:00.000
17 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 1:27.207
18 Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso 1:27.446
19 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:27.859
20 Takuma Sato Super Aguri 1:28.208
21 Nelsinho Piquet Jr Renault 1:28.330
22 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri 1:29.059

The team’s journey started back in October 2007 when Dr. Vijay Mallya and Jan and Michiel Mol bought the team from Spyker Cars N.V. The Australian Grand Prix will mark the race debut of the first Force India car, the new VJM01. The car, which is based on the Spyker F8-VII B-spec chassis, has completed over 6,000km in its pre-season testing programme with an average 368km per day – more than one race distance - without any major problems.

While last year the team had realistic expectations of performance relative to the rest of the field, this season the team sets out to stay with the midfield and pick up positions wherever possible. With increased budgets for the start of the year, a sustained programme of aerodynamic and mechanical developments, a strengthened technical structure and a blend of experience and youth on the driver front, the team aims to make strong progress this season.

The team will be led by Giancarlo Fisichella, one of the most experienced drivers on the current F1 grid with 12 F1 seasons and a massive 267 points to his credit. Adrian Sutil will start his second F1 season in 2008 after scoring his first-ever F1 point in a rain-lashed Fuji Speedway in October last year. Testing duties will be upheld by Italian Tonio Liuzzi, who will also be the team’s reserve driver throughout the season.

Team quotes

Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman and Managing Director

‘To be one of 11 teams participating is itself is a matter of great pride. Not everyone can say we own an F1 team and we are on that grid. It takes a lot to be there in the first place. You’re effectively competing at the very highest level in the world, for the World Championship, and you’re one of the chosen 11.

‘But in 2008 and 2009 it’s going to be a gradual process. One is extremely pleased by the excellent testing times we’ve had. Fisichella was fourth one day. But am I going to hang my boots on it and say we’re going to be among the top five? Absolutely not. We have a lot of work to do, but we’re moving in the right direction very positively, and in a very determined manner. ‘

Colin Kolles, Team principal

‘I have been with this team through some difficult times over the past three years, but with dedicated team owners, a realistic budget and high ambitions, I can now see a long-term future for us. We are here at the start of something incredibly exciting - a new market to capture, a new spirit in the team and increased resources to really deliver. Having the strong driver line-up of the experienced Giancarlo Fisichella and the very promising Adrian Sutil, backed very ably by Tonio Liuzzi, was the first sign that we are not just happy to be at the back anymore - we are looking forward and laying down stones for the future.

‘I see Force India with a great optimism, and I am eagerly anticipating this year. I really think we can join the midfield group this season and with it being so competitive, we could be in a position to be a regular points finisher.’

Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer

‘The feeling in the team is one of excitement and the atmosphere is very optimistic. Times have been very hard for this team over the last five years, with various owners and false dawns, but I think now with a realistic budget and an exciting driver line-up we can really start to do a good job. As a result everyone is excited about the future. We are under no illusions that we are starting from the back, but I think we can look at this year as the team really starting to build itself up as a competitive unit, so there is a very positive feeling.

‘I think it is always difficult to judge from pre-season testing, but you can see that we have taken a step forward. We are starting from the back, so how far that step will take us we will have to wait until Melbourne. We have set our aims to get into Q2 and to get race finishes. I think one thing is very clear from testing though: we are no longer the team lapping around at the back.’
A detailed Q&A with Mike Gascoyne can be found at www.formula1.com

Driver quotes before the Australian Grand Prix 2008 Opener

Giancarlo Fisichella 

‘Since I joined Force India two months ago it’s been a very exciting time, both for the team and for myself. I feel totally at home here, with both the engineers and the mechanics. It feels as if I have been at Force India for a long time!

‘Australia is a good place for me to start the season and my Force India race career. I won the race in 2005 and started in second place in 2006 and with a car that was not as competitive as we would have liked, I finished in fifth last season.

‘I feel confident for this first race with Force India. My first target is to get into Q2, but then the final hope is to score Force India’s first point in the championship. You can see that every test we have moved forward and made some good progress – at the last test in Barcelona in particular where our lap times confirmed we are going in the right direction with the car. I did two longer runs at the final test and was very pleased with the balance and consistency. The results matched our expectations and we found about half a second, and we know there is more to come, so everything is very positive.

‘We have maybe another two to three tenths to come from new developments we have in the pipeline, which could mean a step forward and another few places on the grid. Looking at the other teams, under race conditions I do not think they will get away from us that easily…’

Adrian Sutil

‘The winter period was quite busy with two trips to India and then some busy tests with full programmes.

‘As we are using the same chassis as last year and are familiar with how it behaves, the focus has been on getting the new electronics to work with the car, understanding how the car works without traction control and trying to find the stability on entry and exit into the corners. We took some time trying to find the limit, but I am not worried about having the last tweaks so close to the start of the season; it just gives us more time to get it right in development.

‘This year we have a very good driver line-up, with a lot of experience. Having Tonio as the test driver too means we can make some good progress between races. For me it’s a positive challenge to have Giancarlo in the team as he will push me, which is important for the future. It will be difficult, but this is what I need, as if you are pushed, you have to put in your maximum effort.

‘You can see that the team is better structured this year, and everything seems to be going in the right direction, there is more budget, and we can develop the parts we wanted to last year, but couldn’t because of resources.

‘My goals are to do everything possible to be better this year; to make fewer mistakes and get a few points. I want to help the team move forward.’

Bernie Ecclestone said: “India has always been known for its love of cricket, but F1 has been growing hugely in popularity in recent years as the viewing figures would suggest. Now with Vijay Mallya’s team, Force India, and the news that Karun Chandhok could soon be driving in F1, the announcement of the future Grand Prix in India will spark an explosion of further interest to rival that of the traditional sport.”

Vijay Mallya will address the Motor Sport Business Forum in Monte Carlo which precedes the FIA awards on December 5th,2007 where Mallya is due to annouce his future plans for the Force India team and the driver lineup also.

Adrian Sutil is under contract to the former Spyker team for 2008, but the rookie German is also linked with a switch to replace Fernando Alonso at McLaren.

The second seat, meanwhile, is hotly contested, with established names including Ralf Schumacher, Giancarlo Fisichella, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Christian Klien among those vying to race for the Silverstone-based team.

“A great many top executives from the world of global motorsport will be in Monaco and, from a business point of view, the Forum is the ideal place and time to introduce the Force India F1 concept to the great and good of the industry,” Mallya, who will reveal his F1 business plans, explained.

Mallya will join the likes of FIA president Max Mosley and fellow team bosses Mario Theissen, John Howett, Nick Fry and Christian Horner, and WilliamsF1’s head of marketing Scott Garrett on the list of speakers.

More Photos of the Force India F1 2008 racer will be updated here.

Greater Noida, which is around 30 miles west of the Indian Capital Delhi has been selected as site where the Indian Formula 1 track will be developed . Indian Race promoters, the Indian Olympic Association, has been hoping to stage a Grand Prix since Narain Karthikeyan became the first Indian F1 driver in 2005.

The news comes good for the India F1 racing fans after leading Indian businessman Vijay Mallya recently acquired the Spyker team and renamed it Force India.

More information regarding the track location and pictures of the Indian F1 racing track will be updated here.

 Force India F1 Logo

Logo of Force India F1 Team, which is seen on the Force India F1 racing car at the Barcelona Testing track . The color of the car was in burgundry and the Kingfisher logos all over it. We will update the Photos of the Force India Formula1 car soon.