Skip advert
Advertisement

F1 grid complete

Unveil of Force India's new Merc-engined car completes the 2009 Formula 1 grid

The 2009 Formula 1 grid is now full following the welcome buyout of Honda’s F1 team (now named Brawn GP, and starting well in testing) and the unveil of this, the ’09 Force India car.

Codenamed VJM02, it uses the same Mercedes FO 108W engine as the McLaren MP4-24 and Brawn GP BGP 001 and will once again be piloted by Adrian Sutil and Formula 1 veteran Giancarlo Fisichella, who will line up at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix for the 14th time.

Advertisement - Article continues below

It is his second season at Force India, the Silverstone-based team competing for the second year in Formula 1 after buying out Spyker F1 in late 2007. Hopefully the team will have a more prosperous season than ’08 – last year saw 18 retirements from its two cars, with Fisichella’s tenth place at the Spanish GP Force India’s biggest success with no points amassed all year.

The F1 season begins on March 29 at Melbourne, and you can read about the competition Fisichella and Sutil face right here.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Peugeot’s new petrol engine swaps belts for chains to improve reliability
Peugeot Turbo 100
News

Peugeot’s new petrol engine swaps belts for chains to improve reliability

New engine isn’t performance-oriented but does address some reliability issues around so-called ‘wet belts’, swapping them out altogether for chains
16 Mar 2026
Car makers are U-turning on EVs but car buyers are going to pay the price
Plug-in hybrid Lamborghini
Opinion

Car makers are U-turning on EVs but car buyers are going to pay the price

While the combustion engines we love have a stay of execution, the future won't be all sunshine and rainbows for car enthusiasts
17 Mar 2026
Audi Q3 review – polished BMW X1 rival available with Golf GTI power
Audi Q3 review
In-depth reviews

Audi Q3 review – polished BMW X1 rival available with Golf GTI power

The Q3 confounded some of our middling expectations for it. This is a pleasant, neat-driving small SUV, albeit with a few flaws and catches
13 Mar 2026