Skip to main content
CNN

Formula One 2012: Force India

updated 6:27 AM EST, Mon November 26, 2012
Drivers
Paul di Resta
Nico Hulkenberg

Team principal
Vijay Mallya

Constructors' titles
None

Drivers' titles
None

Base
Silverstone, Britain

First year in Formula One
2008

(CNN) -- Force India entered the elite division of motorsport when Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and Dutchman Michiel Mol purchased the now-defunct Spyker team in 2007.

Having steadily improved with each season, posting a fourth-place finish at the 2009 Italian Grand Prix, the Britain-based marque will be eying a spot on the podium in 2012.

The 2011 season was the best yet for Force India, finishing sixth in the constructors' standings. Paul di Resta enjoyed an impressive rookie year and Adrian Sutil placed ninth overall despite the uncertainty caused by his court case for assaulting an executive of rival team Lotus Renault in April.

Sutil has since departed the team after being found guilty, receiving a suspended sentence and $262,000 fine.

Paul di Resta

The Scotsman is the cousin of IndyCar legend Dario Franchitti, and showed glimpses of his racing pedigree during an encouraging first F1 season.

Di Resta's highest finish of the year was sixth in Singapore and he ended the season 13th in the drivers' championship on 27 points.

The 25-year-old is a former Formula Three champion and he will want to prove he can become the Silverstone-based team's top driver.

Nico Hulkenberg

Hulkenberg steps up from his Force India test driver role in 2011 to replace fellow German Sutil.

The 24-year-old's last F1 race was the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, before he was dropped by Williams despite an impressive rookie season.

The 2009 GP2 series champion finished sixth in Hungary for Williams, his best F1 result to date, and made headlines when he claimed his first and only pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where he placed eighth in the race.

Results

Australia: Di Resta 10th, Hulkenberg DNF

Malaysia: Di Resta 7th, Hulkenberg 9th

China: Di Resta 12th, Hulkenberg 15th

Bahrain: Di Resta 6th, Hulkenberg 12th

Spain: Hulkenberg 10th, Di Resta 14th

Monaco: Di Resta 7th, Hulkenberg 8th

Canada: Di Resta 11th, Hulkenberg 12th

Europe: Hulkenberg 5th, Di Resta 7th

Britain: Hulkenberg 12th, Di Resta DNF

Germany: Hulkenberg 8th, Di Resta 11th

Hungary: Hulkenberg 11th, Di Resta 12th

Belgium: Hulkenberg 4th, Di Resta 10th

Italy: Di Resta 8th, Hulkenberg 21st

Singapore: Di Resta 4th, Hulkenberg 14th

Japan: Hulkenberg 7th, Di Resta 12th

Korea: Hulkenberg 6th, Di Resta 12th

India: Hulkenberg 8th, Di Resta 12th

Abu Dhabi: Di Resta 9th, Hulkenberg DNF

Brazil: Hulkenberg 5th, Di Resta DNF

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
Motorsport
Track the new Formula One season as it progresses, circuit by circuit, race by race.
updated 9:24 AM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
Can the new F1 season live up to last year's standards? Find out the need-to-know stories for 2013.
updated 7:48 AM EDT, Thu March 14, 2013
CNN looks ahead to the Australian Grand Prix, the first F1 race of the 2013 season.
updated 1:24 PM EST, Thu February 28, 2013
Adrian Sutil will be Force India's second driver for the 2013 Formula One season, pledging to make the most of his "second chance".
updated 8:52 PM EST, Fri March 1, 2013
Christmas Abbott, 5'3 and 115 pounds, is the first woman to join a NASCAR pit crew team.
updated 7:35 PM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
The first race in Melbourne is just around the corner and Formula 1 teams are gearing up for a season which promises to be as technical as it is tactical.
updated 7:19 AM EST, Fri March 1, 2013
When the new Formula 1 season gets underway in March, for the first time there will be a woman running a team's entire operations from track to boardroom.
updated 7:22 AM EST, Mon January 21, 2013
The Dakar Rally is one of the world's most dangerous motorsport races, and this year's edition has already been marred by tragic deaths.
updated 2:20 PM EST, Thu January 31, 2013
The famous circuit of Nurburgring is confirmed Thursday as the venue for the 2013 German Grand Prix after reaching a deal with F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone.
updated 10:36 AM EST, Tue November 27, 2012
It did not take very long for the inevitable question to be asked -- just how good a driver is Sebastian Vettel?
updated 9:49 AM EST, Thu January 24, 2013
Changes to tires will make Formula 1 racing faster with more overtaking in 2013, according to the sport's official tire supplier Pirelli.
updated 4:35 AM EST, Mon November 26, 2012
Fangio
Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, and contemporary pacesetters Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso were all contenders.
updated 8:32 AM EST, Fri November 23, 2012
Who is the greatest F1 driver of all time? Past and present drivers give their verdict on the contenders to CNN.
CNN has asked Formula One stars past and present, "Who is the best driver of all time?" Now we want to hear from you.
updated 4:48 AM EST, Tue November 20, 2012
A triumphant Lewis Hamilton called Sunday's United States Grand Prix the best race of 2012 but for many it was more important than that -- it was Formula One being reborn in the USA.
CNN's Ben Wyatt says Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso will seal their place in F1 history in Brazil this weekend.
updated 2:41 PM EST, Sun November 25, 2012
The F1 title race will be fought over 20 races this season. Keep track of the latest standings in the drivers' and manufacturers' championships.
updated 10:20 AM EST, Fri November 16, 2012
The Formula One roadshow rolls into Austin, Texas this weekend for the first race of ten over the coming decade
Mario Andretti says the key to rekindling F1 in the U.S. is a buzzword that has been flying around Washington faster than a Ferrari -- stability.
ADVERTISEMENT