The Gateway of India is traditionally the first thing one would see if one were to visit Mumbai by the sea route.
Force India unveils car and team colours at the Gateway
MUMBAI: The Gateway of India is traditionally the first thing one would see if one were to visit Mumbai by the sea route. On a wintery Thursday evening, Vijay Mallya used the same backdrop to introduce the much-awaited livery and face to the Force India F1 car. Just like the Gateway was built to mark the introduction of King George V to India, the striking new livery of white, gold and tungsten with the Indian tri-colour in the contours of an ‘F’, was introduced to modern India, as Mallya preferred to put it.
It was indeed a modern style of presenting the VJM-01 in a ‘Forceful’ manner, as the car will be known as. But only to a select gathering, as the common man could not be accommodated in the stylish enclosure that was set up with the Gateway forming the backdrop.
A set of glam dolls — Lara Dutta, Shilpa and Shamita Shetty and Sameera Reddy — were also at hand to keep the shutterbugs busy till the function kicked off one-and-half hours late in typical Indian style. But it was a historic moment nonetheless. As Mallya said, “It is for the first time that an Indian ASN (the term for an official unit of the world motorsports body, the FIA) has been granted a licence to drive in F1.”
Interestingly, the new specifications of the VJM-01 and the changes from the previous Spyker F8-VII were not revealed. Reasserting that the car with a reputation of not being the most technically advanced apparatus is due to change, Mallya said: “We were lacking in experience earlier which we have compensated with drivers like Giancarlo Fisichella. And with EADS and Airbus as technical partners, the initiatives in prospectus development have been undertaken. I am sure that Force India will make a steady progress to our stated dream of seeing an Indian on the podium in 2010.”
Mallya also introduced his other half partner in the project, the Mol family and hoped that the peoplewill give their blessings to F1.
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