2014 Report – Sahara Force India F1: A Season of Clear Progress

For the season, Sahara Force India decided to start from scratch. They decided to completely change their driver lineup: they managed to bring back Nico Hülkenberg, who had spent a season with Sauber, while they seized the opportunity to acquire Sergio Perez, who had been dropped by McLaren. The formula was a success as the team doubled its points tally compared to 2013.

THE PILOTS

Nico Hülkenberg – 9th in the overall standings (96 points)

Nico Hülkenberg had a strong second half of the 2013 season with Sauber, but the team’s financial difficulties left him fearing he would end up at the back of the grid. His doubts were confirmed by the disastrous results of the Swiss team, while he managed to achieve new strong performances with his previous employer.

Indeed, the German achieved his best season since his arrival in F1, scoring 96 points by the end of the season. This allowed him to finish in his best position in the championship, in 9th place, after finishing 10th in 2013 and 11th in 2012. His first half of the season was impressively consistent as he always finished 5th or 6th in the first seven races of the season (except for his 10th place in Spain). Before his retirement in Hungary, he was even the only one to score points in the first 10 races of the season.

The second part of the season was more challenging, particularly because of his car. Sahara Force India tried some things in its technical development, which did not prove successful. Reverting to previous developments for the last two races of the season allowed him to get back on track. He was able to secure another impressive 6th position at the finale in Abu Dhabi, after frequently finishing in 8th and 9th places.

Since no seats in a top team were available for him, he preferred to secure his position by extending his contract with Sahara Force India. He hopes that the stability of the technical regulations will allow him to maintain at least the same rank in 2015. In the hope that a major team will finally give him the chance to showcase all his talent.

Sergio Perez – 10th in the overall championship (59 points)

The young Mexican had a taste for revenge before starting his season with Sahara Force India, as McLaren chose Kevin Magnussen over him after just one season at Woking. He was determined to show that his impressive 2012 season with Sauber was not a fluke and that he could achieve great things in the right environment.

If his first two races in Australia (10th place) and Malaysia (retirement) were challenging, he was able to have a very good race in Bahrain, which allowed him to climb back to his 4th podium in F1. It was his first since his second place at the Italian Grand Prix in 2012.

This Bahrain race will remain the high point of a season that turned out to be rather dull. He accumulated positions within the points but mostly between 7th and 10th place. In the end, he scored 59 points over the season, more than with McLaren (49 points) but less than with Sauber (66 points). However, the comparison with his teammate is the most cruel, as Nico Hülkenberg managed to score 37 more points than him, even though Pérez sometimes seemed to have the upper hand over the German in the second half of the year.

The significant support from his Mexican sponsors, such as Telmex, has enabled him to secure his position with Sahara Force India for the next season. Now, he will need to elevate his performance level to help the team compete higher in the hierarchy.

L’EQUIPE

Sahara Force India-Mercedes – 6th in the constructors’ championship (155 points)

If the team’s final ranking (6th) in the Constructors’ Championship aligns with previous seasons (the team has always finished 6th or 7th since 2010), the final result is much more flattering for the team. Indeed, the number of points (155) is significantly higher than in past years since their previous record was in 2012 with 109 points.

But above all, Vijay Mallya’s team fought for a long period for the 5th place with McLaren. The resurgence of form of the Woking team at the end of the season allowed them to make the difference, but Sahara Force India clearly demonstrated that it was able to compete with a team with resources far superior to theirs.

Behind the scenes, Force India has also established itself—through its leaders—as a leading figure in the fight for an overhaul of the revenue system in F1 and the issue of costs.

PERSPECTIVES

Sahara Force India will continue to have the Mercedes engine, clearly the best on the grid. Moreover, they have signed a partnership with Toyota, which will allow them to use one of the best wind tunnels in the world. The stability of their drivers and technical management should enable them to build on the solid foundations established in /f1/actualite/19173-bilan-2014-caterham-f1-plus-detincelles-en-coulisses-quen-piste.html. Will this be enough to compete more for podiums? The future will tell, but the shadow of financial difficulties seems never to be far from a team that has been constantly progressing since its beginnings.

Find all our reviews, team by team, of the season /f1/actualite/19173-bilan-2014-caterham-f1-plus-detincelles-en-coulisses-quen-piste.html:

– Caterham: Plus d’étincelles en coulisses qu’en piste

– Sauber: Une saison vierge de résultats

– Marussia: De la joie aux larmes…

– Lotus: Une saison dans les bas-fonds

– Toro Rosso: Des progrès malgré les défis à relever

– McLaren: Année de transition après 20 ans avec Mercedes

– Ferrari: La fin d’une ère

– Williams: La saison du renouveau sportif