Background The team's origins stemmed from the
Jordan Grand Prix team, which entered Formula One racing in based at the
Silverstone circuit. Jordan enjoyed many years in Formula One, winning four races and achieving third place in the Constructors' Championship. However, like many of the smaller teams in the 2000s, financial problems meant the team's performance dried up, and team owner
Eddie Jordan sold the team to the
Midland Group in early 2005. The Midland owned team renamed
Midland F1 Racing in 2006 spent two seasons at the back of grid, before owner
Alex Shnaider sold the team to
Spyker Cars midway through the season.
Spyker F1 scored a point in 2007 and briefly led the ; despite this, the team once again hit financing issues, and was sold on to Indian businessman Vijay Mallya, then chairman of the
United Breweries Group and
Michiel Mol, Spyker's Formula One Director. The team, bought for €88 million, was renamed as the Force India Formula One Team for the 2008 season, and retained team principal
Colin Kolles, Chief Technology Officer
Mike Gascoyne, and drivers were Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella.
2008 season driving for Force India at the
2008 Malaysian Grand Prix. After retaining Adrian Sutil for the team's first season, Force India conducted winter tests for the second driver and testing roles. Ex-Renault driver
Giancarlo Fisichella was chosen for the race seat, and Vitantonio Liuzzi secured the reserve role; they were to drive an updated version of the
Spyker F8-VIIB chassis with
Ferrari engines, christened the
Force India VJM01. Testing of the car begun in February, after the gold, tungsten and white liveried car was launched at the
Gateway of India in
Mumbai. With an increased budget and wind tunnels from defence company
EADS, leads
Adrian Sutil at the
2008 Canadian Grand Prix.
Melbourne was the scene of Force India's first race, and although the gave the team a poor start with both drivers retiring in the first few laps, the following race in
Malaysia saw Fisichella's twelfth place earn the team's first finish. After disappointing results in the opening races, Sutil gave the team the chance to score its first points in the wet , but towards the end of the race
Kimi Räikkönen's
Ferrari lost control and hit Sutil's car causing immediate retirement. Although a furious Gascoyne called for Räikkönen to be penalised, overtakes under yellow flag conditions would have meant Sutil receiving a time penalty post-race, dropping him out of points. Continuous updates to improve reliability and performance allowed the team to close the gap to the fastest teams during the mid-season, despite Super Aguri's withdrawal meaning the two cars started from the rear of the grid for the majority of races. A seamless-shift transmission introduced at
Valencia marked the end of development for the car; team owner Mallya had realised underinvestment and continued changes of ownership had led the team to fall behind. Despite halting work on the VJM01, Fisichella put his car to a season-best 12th on the grid at the during an extremely wet qualifying session; he was however to crash out during the race. Fisichella continued his good form by reaching second during the
Singapore round and fifth at the season-ending ; a safety car before his pit stop prevented points in Singapore, while
transmission issues in Brazil left him 18th and two laps down. Force India finished the season tenth place in the Constructors' Championship, and Fisichella achieved the best finish of tenth at the . The
VJM02 was powered by
Mercedes-Benz engines, after the team signed a five-year deal on 10 November 2008. The deal also included a supply of McLaren-Mercedes gearboxes, hydraulic systems and the
KERS feature. The car was revealed on 1 March 2009. At the wet , Sutil almost secured Force India's first points, holding sixth place in front of
Lewis Hamilton and
Timo Glock with six laps remaining when
aquaplaning led to the Force India car skidding off the road and crashing out of the race. At the , Sutil qualified in seventh place and battled for the points, reaching second at one point, before colliding with
Kimi Räikkönen after exiting the pit lane and being forced to pit again to change a broken front wing. He finished 15th. Force India gained their first pole position in Formula One at the in
Spa-Francorchamps, when Fisichella qualified fastest. He finished the race in second position, less than a second behind Kimi Räikkönen earning Force India's first ever points and podium position. Missing the win was partially blamed on the car's lack of
KERS, a system present on the
Ferrari. On 3 September 2009, Force India announced that they were releasing Fisichella from his contract to allow him to race for
Ferrari for the remainder of the season. It was announced four days later that test driver
Vitantonio Liuzzi would replace Fisichella for the remaining races. In qualifying for the at Monza, Sutil qualified second and Liuzzi, on his race debut for the team, qualified seventh. On race day, Sutil finished fourth and clocked the fastest lap of the race. While running fourth in the race, Liuzzi had to retire due to a transmission failure. Force India finished the season ninth in front of
Scuderia Toro Rosso with 13 points, however, this did not reflect the vast improvement Force India had made from the start of the season.
2010 season driving for Force India at the
2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. The team announced on 27 November 2009, that it was to keep Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi for the
2010 season. The team tested
Paul di Resta and
J. R. Hildebrand at Jerez, with di Resta setting a much faster time. Di Resta was confirmed as the team's test driver on 2 February 2010. On 9 February 2010, Force India unveiled their new car, the
VJM03, which was to be used in the 2010 season. The 2010 season began with points in
Bahrain, with Liuzzi finishing in ninth position. Sutil had qualified in tenth, but was involved in a first-lap incident with the
Renault of
Robert Kubica. He ultimately recovered to finish in twelfth position. In
Australia, Sutil again qualified in the top ten, with Liuzzi qualifying thirteenth. Liuzzi finished the race in seventh, while Sutil retired with an engine problem. In
Malaysia Sutil scored ten points with fifth and Liuzzi retired early due to a throttle problem, his first retirement of the season. In the next few races, apart from a retirement from Liuzzi, the Force Indias had quiet races in the midfield, staying mainly out of the action in front of and behind them, with Sutil scoring points in
Spain. At
Monaco both cars finished the race in eighth and ninth, avoiding the numerous incidents, giving the team their first double points finish. In
Turkey, Sutil finished 9th scoring two points, while Liuzzi finished 13th. At the following race in
Montreal, both cars finished in the points, with Liuzzi finishing 9th and Sutil in 10th. A number of senior personnel left the team during the season, with technical director
James Key being the highest-profile member, leaving to join
Sauber in a similar role. Chief designer Lewis Butler, senior aerodynamicist Marianne Hinson, and commercial director Ian Phillips also left the outfit. Force India finished the season in seventh place with 68 points, ahead of
Sauber, but a point behind
Williams.
2011 season driving for Force India at the
2011 Malaysian Grand Prix. On 26 January 2011, the team announced that reserve driver
Paul di Resta would be promoted to a race seat for the season, to partner
Adrian Sutil. The team launched their new car, the
VJM04 on 8 February 2011 via an online launch. The VJM04 is the first car created under new technical director Andrew Green and developed using the resources from partners McLaren Applied Technologies and
Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines. In the first race of the year in Australia, Sutil and di Resta finished the race in eleventh and twelfth places respectively but were later promoted to ninth and tenth after both
Sauber cars were disqualified for a technical infringement relating to the rear wing of both their cars. Di Resta scored more points in
Malaysia but he had to retire in
Turkey. Sutil finished seventh in
Monaco, and ninth in
Valencia. Di Resta was bound for points in Britain before a collision with Buemi, while Sutil finished sixth in
Germany ahead of the Mercedes cars. Di Resta finished seventh in
Hungary, eighth in
Italy and took his best race result of sixth in
Singapore, while Sutil added a seventh-place finish in
Belgium and an eighth in Singapore. Di Resta scored another point in
Korea, while at the
Airtel Indian Grand Prix, Sutil scored two points with ninth place. At the final race in
Brazil, Sutil matched his best finish of the season with sixth place, while di Resta finished eighth, to help the team finish sixth in the Constructors' Championship, four points in arrears of fifth-placed
Renault.
2012 season driving for Force India at the
2012 Malaysian Grand Prix. For their 2012 line-up, the team retained
Paul di Resta and replaced
Adrian Sutil with their 2011 reserve driver,
Nico Hülkenberg.
Jules Bianchi was later named as the team's reserve driver, and will also take part in Friday practice for the team during the season. The team's car, the
VJM05, was launched at
Silverstone on 3 February. The Force India crew tried to pull out of the
2012 Bahrain Grand Prix due to
a revolution against the regime and the death of a protester. However, after the team's refusal to take to the circuit, there was a confrontation between F1 chief
Bernie Ecclestone and the Force India team. In the last race of the season, the
2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, Hülkenberg qualified 7th but was promoted to 6th after
Pastor Maldonado received a 10 place grid penalty. By lap three he had moved forward two places and on lap five he passed Fernando Alonso for third place. He moved into second position when McLaren's
Lewis Hamilton pitted on lap 11. Hülkenberg then passed
Jenson Button at the start of lap 19 to take the lead. He and Button built up a 45-second lead before the safety car was deployed because of debris on the track. He still led until he was passed by Hamilton, after sliding at the entry of Turn 8 on lap 49. On lap 55 he collided with Hamilton when the rear of Hülkenberg's car slid out while trying to pass him at Turn 1. After being given a drive-through penalty as a result of the incident, Hülkenberg finished fifth. Force India finished their
2012 campaign in seventh place with 109 points.
2013 season driving for Force India at the pre-season test. The 2013 line-up featured
Paul di Resta for the third successive year. The season also witnessed
Adrian Sutil returning to the team line-up, replacing
Nico Hülkenberg as the team's Second Driver. The team's new car, the
VJM06 was launched on 1 February 2013 at the team's base near the Silverstone Circuit. At the season-opening , Sutil finished seventh, while di Resta finished eighth, giving the team their best ever start to a season. At the fourth round of the season in
Bahrain, di Resta finished fourth, while Sutil finished thirteenth. Force India finished their
2013 season in sixth place with 77 points.
2014 season driving for Force India at the
2014 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Nico Hülkenberg returned to the team for 2014, while
Paul di Resta was replaced by
Sergio Pérez.
Adrian Sutil moved to
Sauber and was replaced by Nico Hülkenberg from Sauber.
Daniel Juncadella was signed by the team as a reserve driver. The season opener in
Australia saw Hülkenberg finish sixth while Pérez finished tenth after the disqualification of
Daniel Ricciardo. This was also the first time Hülkenberg completed a lap at the Albert Park circuit. At the
Bahrain Grand Prix, Pérez put Force India on the podium with a third-place finish, its first time on the podium since
Belgium in 2009. In
Austria, Pérez achieved the third fastest lap in Force India's history. Force India were good after the major regulation change of hybrid engines and turbocharged powertrains, as they finished in sixth place with 155 points; 125 points ahead of seventh-placed
Toro Rosso.
2015 season On 19 October 2014, the team stated Hülkenberg had secured his seat for 2015. On 7 November 2014, before the , Force India announced that Pérez would remain with the team for the season. Pérez stated that contract negotiations were "ongoing", in regards to a further contract extension. The deal was officially confirmed two weeks later at the , with Pérez signing a two-year contract, until the end of the season. driving for Force India at the
2015 Japanese Grand Prix. Force India missed the first pre-season test in
Jerez, due to an unexplained setback in the development of the
Force India VJM08. It was later revealed that Force India was, according to insider Ralf Bach, "facing financial collapse," and was "currently
insolvent." He also suggested that the delays in the VJM08 were due to the fact that "important parts suppliers have not been paid".
Robert Fernley, deputy Team Principal, later admitted that the team was likely to miss all three pre-season tests, though he said that they might use the 2014 car to do some "driver and tyre work." However, Force India's 2015 car finally broke cover when Hülkenberg hit the track on day two of the third and final test at Barcelona. The car was an updated version of last year's challenger and was immediately reliable. They had a good start to the season with Hülkenberg finishing in a strong seventh place in the
Australian Grand Prix. However they struggled thereafter and did not score points until the
Bahrain Grand Prix courtesy of an eighth-place finish by Pérez. Both drivers delivered strong results in
Monaco and
Austria. The team later introduced a highly modified B-spec car at the
2015 British Grand Prix, featuring two distinctive vents in the nose. The car was a significant step forward from its predecessor, particularly in high-speed corners. In
Belgium, Pérez almost took the lead of the race on lap one and ultimately finished in a strong fifth place. He followed up this drive with a sixth-place finish in
Monza and seventh in
Singapore. In September Sahara Force India lodged a formal complaint to the European Union against Formula One for breaching competition laws. At the
Russian Grand Prix, Pérez put Force India on the podium with a third-place finish, its first podium since the
2014 Bahrain Grand Prix. Hülkenberg and Pérez finished seventh and eighth in Pérez' home race in
Mexico City. This upturn in form helped Force India achieve their best placing of 5th place with 136 points in the Constructors' Championship, although scoring 19 fewer points than its predecessor. This is a remarkable achievement considering the team's financial plight and their late preparations of the season by delaying the B spec version of their car. The Force India VJM08 for 2015 was suitable for the aerodynamic changes from the 2014 season.
2016 season Force India retained Hülkenberg and Pérez for a third successive season in . It proved to be the most successful season in the team's history to that point, after finishing fourth in the Constructors' Championship with 173 points. Pérez scored his first of two podium finishes at the , finishing third, which was also the first time that the team had scored a podium at Monaco in any of its guises –
Jordan,
Midland,
Spyker or Force India. Pérez finished third again two races later at the in
Baku. At the the team managed to get their first double-finish within the top-five since the
2014 Bahrain Grand Prix with Hülkenberg finishing fourth and Pérez finishing in fifth. As a result, the team took fourth place in the Constructors' Championship from
Williams, their highest ever finishing position in the team's history.
2017 season driving for Force India at the
2017 British Grand Prix. In , Hülkenberg left Force India to join
Renault.
Esteban Ocon was signed to replace him in his first full season in Formula One, having driven for
Manor during the second half of the 2016 season. Pérez remained at Force India for a fourth season. The
VJM10 brought a change to a pink livery, following a new sponsorship deal with
BWT. Ocon and Pérez finished the first five races of the season in the points, notably at the with Pérez finishing fourth and Ocon a career-best fifth. This run of points finished ended at the with both cars finishing outside the points. The two have been involved in a number of collisions in subsequent races. At the , both drivers collided with each other with Pérez damaging his front left suspension and losing his front wing, before eventually retiring from the race. Ocon recovered from a puncture to finish sixth. At the , the two collided again whilst battling for position with Ocon damaging his front wing and Pérez getting a puncture. Ocon finished ninth but Pérez retired from the damage caused by the puncture late in the race. The team secured fourth place in the Constructors' Championship for a second successive season at the . The points total at the end of this season was 187, the team's best points tally ever.
2018 season testing the last Force India car the
Force India VJM11 during pre-season testing in Barcelona. For the
2018 season the team retained the
2017 line up of
Sergio Pérez and
Esteban Ocon. At the opening race in
Australia,
Sergio Pérez and
Esteban Ocon finished 11th and 12th respectively. The team was put into
administration during the
Hungarian Grand Prix. The legal action was instigated by a group of creditors, including Sergio Pérez, as a means of allowing the team to continue to operate while a new owner was sought. Pérez justified the action as a response to a winding-up petition filed by HMRC and supported by Formtech, a supplier, which would have resulted in an unmanaged insolvency of the company and almost certain collapse of the team. A consortium led by
Lawrence Stroll ended up acquiring the team's assets. Approaching the
2018 Belgian Grand Prix, the situation regarding the team's ability to compete remained unsure, as in order to buy the shares in the team, the consortium needed agreement with the creditors of the parent company - including 13 banks which held a freezing order over the assets of the parent. Agreement could not be reached in time, so the consortium was unable to buy the shares, and was limited to purchasing only the assets of the team. The team then had to participate in the F1 Championship under a new name, thus the adding of "Racing Point" to the team's name. The
FIA excluded the former Force India entry from the championship "due to its inability to complete the season", and welcomed the new legal entity,
Racing Point Force India F1 Team, that was allowed to race, but not to keep any points of the old team. This signaled the end of the constructor that had been founded for the 2008 season. :
Lewis Hamilton,
Kimi Räikkönen and
Sergio Pérez. ==Sponsorship and partners==