Force India VJM10

The Force India VJM10 is the 27th car built by the Silverstone team and the 10th under the Force India name. As with all cars to bear the Force India name since the VJM04 the VJM10 has been developed under the technical leadership of Andy Green. The car is notable for having the second highest level of subcontracted manufacturing in Formula 1 (the highest being Haas). The major structural composite parts including the monocoque are farmed out while the power unit and transmission come from Mercedes. Additionally aerodynamic development is carried out at TMG in Cologne at 60% scale, Force India’s own facility in Brackley is 50% scale and is essentially mothballed (though apparently remains available for commercial use).

The VJM10 made its public debut at Silverstone shortly before pre-season testing got underway in Barcelona. Immediately noticeable was the design of the nose of the car. It features two vents either side of the main crash structure but shy of the tip of the nose. Crucially, inside the opening are panels that bring the air slightly more inboard and improves the channeling of air under the chassis. These panels are crucial to the legality of the vents.

One of the advantages of this concept is according to Green that the crash tests are somewhat easier to pass. ‘We know some teams have done fifty to sixty crash tests to try and get the short nose to pass in 2015 that is something we just can’t afford to do. It is completely inefficient for us to do that, so we had to think about another way of doing it and that’s what we came up with.’
As vented noses are not permissible in the Formula One Technical Regulations if they are deemed to be “see through”; however while the vents captured the attention of many observers in the paddock, Green confirmed that there was never any question as to their legality. ‘The legality was never in question – we didn’t have to change the design from its initial launch. In order to be within the regulations, you can’t have [see] through hole. If you stood in front of the car and looked at the nose, you can’t see straight through – there has to be a curve, so the vent has to curve round and that’s the reason for the panels underneath.’

Green continues: ‘when you do look at the car from the front and you look into the hole, you cannot see daylight through it. It’s a curved vent and that’s why it’s legal. The FIA were fully aware of what we were doing from a very early stage and we explained to them why we thought it sat within the regulations and they agreed very early on, so we never made any changes to it after that.’

The launch specification front wing looks highly complex already but engineers at Force India have indicated that this will be the least complex design seen on the car in 2017 as an aerodynamic development arms race has broken out between the teams. As a result of the new regulations the wing has a rearward sweep and is wider than that used in 2016.

One of the most commented on features of the VJM10 is the hump on the nose. This is due to the team mounting some of the inboard front suspension components on the top of the tub rather than inside it. The arrangement of the components is not yet clear but it is thought to differ from conventional layouts in some respects. The hump itself is a thin composite ‘vanity panel’.

The outboard front suspension is conventional with a pushrod layout, however the wishbones are notably larger than those used in 2016, this is due to the higher loads they will have to withstand as a result of the new rules.

It is a similar story with the rear suspension, though with a pull rod layout. The inboard mounting points of the suspension are defined by the Mercedes transmission casing used on the VJM10. It is the first time since 2014 that Force India will start the season with the same specification gearbox as the works Mercedes cars.

As is the case with the Williams, Sauber and Renault designs the VJM10 features the same centreline cooling concept used by Mercedes in 2016. This sees the MGU-H and MGU-K cooler located in the centre of the car above the bellhousing. This means a new roll hoop concept has to be used and like the 2016 Mercedes the roll over structure is mounted inside the duct, with the A shaped design clear to see, and a single support mounted centrally.

The duct is segmented into three parts the outer two segments feed air to the ERS cooler, while the central segment feeds combustion air to the Mercedes V6 engine. Another smaller cooling aperture is mounted below the main duct.

The side pod ducts on the VJM10 appear to differ slightly side to side, both feature internal scoops to channel air to systems under the engine cover, but the scoop on the left side (above) appears slightly larger than that on the right (below)

As with most recent F1 cars the VJM10 features an aerodynamic element around the leading edge of the sidepod, but unlike some it does not reach to the floor of the car.

As with many 2017 cars the Force India has a large fin on the engine cover though this is less intricate than those employed by some other teams. Note the small cooling slot on the engine cover mounted above the turbine. The leading edge of the rear wing endplate is also visible in this shot with its (almost) open ended vents.

A look at the rear of the car was possible at the Silverstone launch, the larger diffuser is clear to see as is the lower and wider rear wing. The main wing support appears to pass through the exhaust tailpipe, something seen on a number of cars in recent years.

Looking at the rear wing mounting of the VJM10 it sweeps rearward from the tail of the engine cover fin. It is not clear from this angle if the support passes through or around the tailpipe itself. Note how some parts of the wishbone are thicker than others.

From this image of the diffuser and tailpipe it is clear to see the wing support passing through the tailpipe however.

A good look at the leading edge of the floor on the VJM10. Note how it sweeps upwards. It is likely that this section accommodates the lower side impact structure.

From above the aerodynamic extensions from the monocoque are clear to see, located behind the bargeboard and ahead of the sidepod. Note the rearward sweep of the sidepod.