This was Vijay Mallya’s first warning to the Formula 1 world that he is here to succeed and he’s not short of the cash to do so. 

Those who have remained fans from the Jordan era could perhaps finally see a glimmer of light at the end of what had been a very dark tunnel for a number of years. A couple of disappointing seasons as Jordan Grand Prix died a very painful death followed by some uncertain years under the ownership of Midland and then Spyker were over and now the team had reinvented itself for what was promised to be the last time: Force India F1 is here to stay. Vijay Mallya is no Alex Shnaider - what the two have in common is that they are both successful, influential businessmen but that is where the similarities end. Vijay Mallya really does have the commitment, determination and, above all, passion to succeed.

The ambitions became ever more ambitious ahead of the opening race of the year with team principal Colin Kolles speculating that ‘we could be in a position to be a regular points finisher’. In hindsight, with half a season of racing under our belts, perhaps this was a little too bullish but it was not just a prediction being made by Kolles here. It was also a statement that confidence and self-belief had been re-installed into this team of talented, hard-working people back at Silverstone.

There certainly is no doubting the progress that has been made, though. One can take the Malaysian Grand Prix as an example of the improvement in qualifying pace. In 2007 the Spykers were planted firmly at the back of the grid, almost a second slower than the under-performing Alex Wurz and a further half a second slower than the man ahead of him, Rubens Barrichello. This is in comparison to 2008 where Fisichella was one position away from getting into Q2, qualifying ahead of his team mate, the Aguris, a Williams and an STR. 

However, it would be fair to say that Force India’s qualifying performance has diminished as the season has evolved. Hopes of making it through to Q2 following strong performances have deteriorated and the back row of the grid is often now expected. This is not representative of the step forward that has been made from last year, though. At the final race before Formula 1’s annual ‘Summer Break’, Hungary, the best-placed Force India was twice as close to the position ahead in qualifying than the best-placed Spyker of the previous year.

Like the qualifying performance, the performance in the races has also diminished somewhat as the season has progressed. Some impressive drives from Fisichella at the beginning of the season placed him solidly in the midfield whilst Sutil mixed it with the best of them in Monaco. However, the best result from the last two races has been P15 and the team are drifting further from the points, but a comparatively small team like FI cannot be expected to keep up with the lightning development rates of the biggest players. But they won’t stop trying. We know there’ll be a spirited bunch back in Northamptonshire tirelessly working to try and find an elusive tenth or two for the drivers to be able to throw their weight about in the midfield battles.

But what next? I think it is quite likely that the team will slowly drift off the pack in front as development of an old chassis comes to a close and resources are focussed on the 2009 campaign – and rightly so. With all the rule changes being introduced in 2009, it will be the team’s best chance to edge forward in preparation for Vijay Mallya’s dream of being on the podium at the inaugural Indian GP the following year. With money no longer an object for the team (proven by the team’s swanky new ‘motorhome’) and a Ferrari engine and KERS to rely on, can they catch some of the other teams out and really become a Force to be reckoned with? Only time will tell...

For now though, I think Mallya and the team deserve a huge pat on the back for being the self-proclaimed most-improved team on the grid.

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