Force India look set to miss second test

Force India pulled out of the first winter test session in Jerez and it now looks like they will miss the second test in Barcelona.

Force India had initially claimed that they had made the decision to not debut its 2015 car until Barcelona to give the team longer in the wind tunnel.

There had been reports that they could run a 2014 car in Jerez and auction off the seat to an upcoming driver in need of experience in return for some additional finances, but this didn’t happen.

?Looking at the schedule and where we were as a team and where we were going with the new wind tunnel, and looking at the gap between Jerez and Barcelona, we thought to ourselves ?actually, we could really do with that time in the new tunnel and the longer we can leave the launch of this car, the better for us and the more learning we?re going to do?. Force India’s technical director Andrew Green told Sky Sports ahead of the first test.

But now it appears that the development of the Force India VJM08 looks to be behind schedule and they may well miss the first test in Barcelona.

That would leave the team with just four days of running before the season starts.

‘We will be at the first Barcelona test, even if it is with the 2014 car, and we will be in Melbourne,’ a Force India spokesperson told the BBC.

Force India will continue to try and push the VJM08 to be ready, but they: ‘wouldn’t want to say it will be there 100%. It’s more likely it will be at the final test.’

With their development running so far behind schedule there has also been concerns regarding the teams finances.

Speaking to Sky Sports Force India?s Deputy Team Principal Bob Fernley said: ‘It would be wrong for me to say we?re all having a wonderful time – we’re having a tough time and costs are rising, The income distribution is very well documented and none of that is being addressed.’