By IANS,
Chennai : Force India Formula One Team has entered into a technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies (wholly owned by the McLaren Group) and with Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines.
Force India who last week parted with Ferrari, their engine suppliers for the 2008 season, were in talks with McLaren for a possible tie-up.
According to a Force India press release here Monday, the team’s VJM02 cars will be powered by engines designed and built by Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines. It is the first time 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, the release added.
McLaren Applied Technologies will additionally supply the Force India Formula One Team cars with McLaren Racing gearboxes and hydraulic systems and will also provide operational support to ensure Force India functions at its highest possible level.
Force India also plans to fit its cars with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) that is currently being developed by Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines and McLaren Racing (wholly owned by the McLaren Group).
In conjunction with aerospace company EADS, which, like McLaren and Mercedes, is a global leader in its field, Force India announced that it will soon be expanding the computational fluid dynamics capability of its Brackley Aero Centre facility.
Force India chairman and Managing Director Vijay Mallya said in the release: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to announce a technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines, and also our plan to expand the composite manufacturing capability and drawing office within our Silverstone facility.
“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 has been in existence for only one year, and inevitably our first season has constituted a learning period. But we said at the outset that we meant business and were not interested in merely making up the numbers.
“The announcement of our new technical partnership, combined with the new developments and resources outlined above, clearly underlines that we meant what we said.”