Assessment 2017 – Force India: An Isolated Fourth Force

4th in the championship, 187pts

Best qualification: 3rd

Best race result: 4th

Force India began the 2017 season with confidence thanks to a promising driver duo composed of Sergio Pérez, who was thoroughly familiar with all the ins and outs of the team, and a young raw talent in the form of Esteban Ocon. A few days before the Australian Grand Prix, the team signed a major sponsorship deal with the Austrian company BWT, specialized in water treatment. This brought a welcome financial boost to the team, which was performing well despite a rather modest budget. This contract would give the Indian cars their striking pink color.

In any case, it quickly becomes quite clear that Force India has brilliantly met the challenge of the new regulations, which has significantly changed many elements of the car design. Its style gives the impression of a car that doesn’t look impressive but proves to be devilishly efficient and consistent. The team quickly establishes itself as the undeniable fourth force on the grid behind the top three teams. The team can rely on quite impressive reliability with only two retirements in the year solely due to collisions. Force India has a versatile car that finishes in the top 10 at every race. The only exception will be Monaco, where the cars never manage to be truly comfortable.

Major innovation this season, the team has managed to introduce developments and evolve the car throughout the season without any real interruption. In the past, the inability of the structure to regularly develop its car jeopardized consistent results. In terms of developments, it is important to highlight a major redesign of the floor, the addition of new side deflectors, and the so-called stegosaurus fin installed at the top of the shark fin.

The season, however, was not a walk in the park for the team’s management, who had to handle conflicts between Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon. It was precisely in Canada that things started to escalate. During the race, Sergio Pérez refused to let his teammate, who believed he was faster, pass. This ultimately resulted in both drivers losing a place in the standings. But the epicenter of this conflict would particularly be in Baku, where both cars collided after the race was restarted. This was especially unfortunate as this rather unusual race could have allowed Force India to contend for a victory for the first time in its history. This led to Sergio Pérez’s retirement from the race.

Things settle down somewhat until the Belgian Grand Prix. During the race, the cars clash twice, causing Sergio Pérez’s car to retire once again. Without delving into the details to assign blame for the two incidents, it represents the last straw for the team. The decision is then made to establish a rule stating that the driver leading after the first lap will remain in that position until the end of the race. The two drivers are completely forbidden from fighting each other. This new rule will allow the Silverstone-based team to regain some peace.

Another difficult point for Force India is the legal troubles of its founder and owner Vijay Mallya, which prevent him from attending races outside Great Britain. To address this situation, the team’s operational management is entrusted to its director Bob Fernley.

In any case, the 2017 season was again very good for Force India, which managed to secure the second consecutive fourth place in the constructors’ standings. The qualities of the car and the undeniable talent of the drivers were the essential ingredients of this success. Unfortunately for the British team, the gap with the top three teams proved to be insurmountable.

Next season will be marked by stability with an unchanged driver duo. Esteban Ocon’s extension was a formality since the Frenchman had an extension option in his contract. It was a bit more complicated for Sergio Pérez since the many sponsors financing his career were involved in the Mexican’s contract negotiations. Ultimately, it was unsurprising that Pérez eventually extended.

The involvement of Mercedes as an engine supplier, which allowed Ocon to join the team, will be further realized next season with the inclusion of a third driver from the brand’s program. Namely, the British George Russell, 2017 GP3 champion with a very promising future.

Editor’s Note: 17/20

Sergio Pérez:

7th in the championship, 100 pts

Best qualification: 5th

Best race result: 4th

While he seemed at one point the designated favorite to replace Kimi Räikkönen at Ferrari at the end of 2016, the Scuderia decided to extend the contract of the Finn. This forces Sergio Pérez to settle for a less ambitious option. Therefore, he logically extends his stay at Force India for an additional season. His disappointment quickly overcome, he prepares to compete in the 2017 season as a reliable contender in the Formula 1 field, appearing to have left his old demons behind.

For the Silverstone team, Sergio Pérez undeniably represents the asset of experience to deal with the new regulations and support Esteban Ocon, who is almost a novice in the discipline. At the beginning of the season, the Mexican quite predictably takes the upper hand over his young teammate. He rather easily dominates the Frenchman during the majority of the first part of the season. He even comes close to the podium in Catalonia with a nice fourth place just ahead of Ocon.

But quite quickly, tensions start to appear internally between the two drivers. He refuses to obey team orders in Canada and clashes with his teammate in the next race. Including the Spa Francorchamps race, the native of Guadalajara shows a certain nervousness that hadn’t been seen in him for a long time. But ultimately, the team instructions put in place will defuse this bad phase.

The second part of the season is much more competitive with Esteban Ocon who manages to regularly beat him in qualifying and races, especially during his home Grand Prix. However, in terms of points, Pérez manages to maintain the advantage over the Frenchman who made his life difficult.

His results have been consistently strong overall with only two retirements due to collisions with his teammate. This year, he didn’t manage to get on the podium, but the gap with the top three teams explains this quite easily.

It is certain that next season, Sergio Pérez will want to prove that he is the true leader of the team by maintaining an advantage over his teammate. His future in the discipline could depend on it, knowing that the doors to the top teams seem to have definitively closed for him.

Editor’s note: 15/20

Esteban Ocon:

8th in the championship, 87 pts

Best qualification: 3rd

Best race result: 5th

The 2017 season marked Esteban Ocon’s true first season in the discipline, after participating in the second half of last season with the now-defunct small team Manor. He was catapulted by Mercedes, of which he is a member of the young drivers’ structure, to Force India. The Mercedes-powered team actually had a choice between two protégés of the Stuttgart brand, namely Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon. The choice quickly fell on the Frenchman, who had left a better impression on the team during the tests he carried out. His quite precise technical feedback and behavior also clearly worked in his favor.

He thus begins within a team playing the leading roles in the championship. His first three races result in three consecutive tenth places. He then embarks on an impressive series of finishes in the points (except for Monaco) uninterrupted until the Brazilian Grand Prix where a collision with Romain Grosjean puts an end to it. He even breaks the record for the number of finished races previously held by Max Chilton. However, he does not manage to beat Nick Heidfeld’s record, who remains the undisputed master in this field. It is also worth noting that Esteban Ocon had not retired in motorsport for about forty races and the F3 Europe championship.

Let’s not forget to mention his impressive third-place qualification in Monza during a session marked by rain. Although he was eventually beaten by his much more experienced teammate, the Frenchman impressed knowledgeable observers of the discipline with his consistency, behavior, and the quality of his technical analyses. His maturity was also highlighted despite a few communication errors, which are unsurprising for such a young driver (see his tweet after Belgium).

The only black mark of this season is undoubtedly the incident for which he was responsible towards his teammate in Baku, which may have cost Force India a chance for their first victory. However, the race in Spa, where he fell victim to his teammate, will demonstrate that he is not the type to yield to pressure or be intimidated by his opponents. He has also shown ambition in a positive way and is capable of criticizing his performances when he deems them insufficient.

Next year will have to be one of confirmation now that he has fully acclimatized to Formula 1, knows his team perfectly, and has raced on all the circuits of the calendar. He will certainly want to prove to his employer that he is capable of taking on the role of leader, facing a teammate who will undoubtedly continue to be just as tough.

He will also want to put himself forward to Toto Wolff and Mercedes to potentially join the team. Indeed, his status as a member of the Mercedes young driver program could open the doors to the German team if Valtteri Bottas ultimately does not fit the bill. The Finn being at the end of his contract at the end of next season, it’s a matter to follow.

Editor’s Note: 14/20