London, Feb 9: Vijay Mallya owned Formula One team Force India, on Feb 8 unveiled a new car, which they hope will provide them a podium finish at India's first Formula One grand prix. The event is scheduled for Oct 30 in New Delhi.

The team had finished seventh in 2010.

Sounding optimistic about his team's prospect, especially after the launch of the new car, Mr Mallya said, "We've got three race drivers that are hungry to take the next steps in their careers, whether that be points, podiums or wins" and added, "Not to mention the very special event, and one that I personally can't wait for, the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. What better place would there be to reach some of those aims than on our home soil?"

Force India, who were the last among the 12 Formula One teams to unveil their new car, will be pinning their hopes on Adrian Sutil and rookie Paul di Resta.

The new VJM04 car is the first one created by the team under Andrew Green, their new technical director .Force India is powered by the Mercedes and also have a technical partnership with McLaren.

Adrian Sutil said, "We've got targets to finish at least one spot higher than last year so consistency has got to be key. As for podiums, why not? We should certainly be in the mix at some races."

OneIndia News