"Underpromise and overdeliver," was Sahara Force India team principal Vijay Mallya's stated goal for 2017 when asked at the launch of the VJM10. And while it's a lovely idea, now that the F1 world has become accustomed to the Silverstone racers being the team we can rely on to punch above their weight, it's going to be hard to lower expectations back down to a level where Mallya might feel more comfortable.
In 2009, Force India were the underdog backmarkers who narrowly missed out on a maiden win at Spa thanks to the lack of a KERS button, but by the time the 2016 season had drawn to a close Force India was a team that had kept the more established likes of McLaren, Williams, and Renault in their wing mirrors. Every year since 2014 they have climbed one spot higher in the constructors' standings, and now a lack of forward progress could be read as akin to standing still.
"Many commentators of the sport have always said we punch well above our weight, and to add to that that we're world champions in terms of money spent is a huge compliment," Mallya said at Wednesday's launch in Silverstone's Wing. "It speaks volumes for the passion, the creativity and the talent of everyone at the factory. This passion is only going to get more intense and the passion to improve further is going to be pretty relevant in 2017."
As much as Mallya and co might hope to manage expectations for the coming season, maintaining fourth in the constructors' championship is likely to prove challenging for the team. While Force India were able to maximise the performance return on their development investments in the hybrid era, 2017's regulatory changes could yet shake up the field -- we have yet to see what tricks (if any) the various teams have hidden up their sleeves.
Recent years have seen Force India benefit from their Mercedes power unit, and in 2016 the Silverstone racers were Mercedes' highest placed customer team. But the increased reliance on aero expected under this season's regulations could see the balance of power switch back to the better funded outfits -- the McLaren-Honda relationship should be operating closer to peak efficiency this year, while Red Bull and Ferrari might have designed cars capable of relegating Mercedes to third-fastest car.
There is also expected to be increased competition in and for the mid-field. While last year's battle for fourth was largely a two-way fight between Williams and Force India, this year Renault are targeting fifth in the championship while Scuderia Toro Rosso cannot be discounted.
Assuming that the VJM10 is a car that allows Force India to start 2017 on the same high with which they ended 2016, the element most likely to make the difference in the championship fight over the course of the year is the number of external sponsors on the car, and the amount of money each is willing to invest.
The Hype relationship has been confirmed as continuing, as well the deals with existing Mexican suppliers Telmex and Claro, while this week has seen new partnership announcements from fashion brand Farah, forex trading platform FXTM, and digital partner Orange Bus.
Unlike Renault, whose new deals are firmly in the arena of technical partnership Force India's updated roster of sponsors looks to be concentrated in signage-for-income deals. Orange Bus will be working with the team on digital solutions including a new team website, but there is nothing in the stickering on the VJM10 that screams 'symbiotic opportunity for technical development and innovation'.
But Force India have spent the last ten years proving on track that they're perfectly good at innovation themselves, thankyou-very-much-for-asking. While they may not have big ticket backers helping them push the technological envelope either online or on track, what Force India do now have is a selection of hands-off sponsors whose funding should keep the car running and the upgrades rolling in, no matter what happens to Mallya's personal and business affairs...