Optimism following disappointment

DRIVING FORCE: Team Principal, Dr Vijay Mallya, says he is looking forward to the British Grand Prix

Force India leave empty handed from Austria

Force India’s run of back-to-back podium finishes came to an abrupt end in the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend with both drivers falling short of finishing amongst points.

Nico Hulkenberg eventually drove home in 19th position, whilst teammate Sergio Perez – who had finished third in his last two outings – came crashing down to earth with a 17th placed finish on the Red Bull Ring.

Brazilian Hulkenberg had started on the front row when drivers lined up on Sunday morning yet he was pushed further down the pecking order as the race commenced.

An equally disappointing story for Perez, whose poor qualifying drive set up an ultimately disappointing time in Austria.

UPS AND DOWNS: Sergio Perez had previously recorded successive third placed finishes in Monaco and Baku prior to his ‘no point’s’ performance in Austria

Team Principal, Dr Vijay Mallya, said the team have come to grips with what went wrong and are hoping to set the record straight when Silverstone arrives this Sunday.

“Leaving Austria empty-handed was very disappointing. We showed good form throughout the weekend, but various factors prevented us from realising our true potential. We’ve understood what went wrong and I’m confident we can bounce back this weekend at Silverstone,” he said.

“We shouldn’t let one unlucky race overshadow the great results we have been achieving recently.

“We’re sitting fifth in the championship and the battle for fourth remains wide open with twelve races still to go. We’ve got some extra performance coming for the VJM09 this weekend and that should help us for the races leading up to the summer break.”

Ahead of this weekend’s return to Britain for Silverstone, Dr Mallya remained optimistic.

“There is no denying that Silverstone is one of the most special races of the whole season. Being so close to our factory, just across the road, means our staff can be close to the action and we enjoy incredible support from our fans,” he added.

“The British Grand Prix is one of the classic races on the calendar and the atmosphere is unique: the supporters are brilliant and knowledgeable; there is a party atmosphere in the campsites and the weekend is a true celebration of our sport.”

‘Virtually’ beautiful

Volkswagen is turning the virtual world into reality this weekend, as it presents the GTI Roadster concept at the famous Woerthersee GTI meeting in Austria.

The GTI Roadster was originally created as a purely electronic car, to feature in the Sony PlayStation® 3 classic, Gran Turismo 6 (GT6).  The result of cooperation between Volkswagen and Sony Computer Entertainment, the GTI Roadster is the work of three young Volkswagen designers, winners of an in-house competition to design a vehicle to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Gran Turismo game.

TRAGIC: Sadly the Woerthersee GTI Roadster will never go on production for the real world

Unconstrained by the constraints of production models – for example feasibility and price – designers Malte Hammerbeck, Domen Rucigaj and Guillermo Mignot came up with a winning design that was selected by Klaus Bischoff, Head of Design for the Volkswagen Brand, and Kazunori Yamauchi of Sony Computer Entertainment, the creator of the Gran Turismo series.

The virtual car was unveiled on 26 May, and just days later, Volkswagen is presenting it made real, at the annual gathering of GTI fans on the shores of Woerthersee.

TRAGIC: Sadly the Woerthersee GTI Roadster will never go on production for the real world

The GTI Roadster draws on last year’s Woerthersee car, the Design Vision GTI, but with an even more extreme design.  Its 2,494 mm wheelbase is 137 mm shorter than that of the production Golf GTI, and also shorter than the wheelbase of the Design Vision GTI.  The GTI Roadster’s minimal height (1,090 mm) and extreme width (1,894 mm) versus its overall length (4,158 mm) help create jaw-dropping proportions.

Power for the two-seat GTI Roadster comes from a 3.0-litre V6 biturbo TSI engine that produces 503 PS, and maximum torque of 560 Nm between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm.  Some 500 Nm of torque is available from just 2,000 rpm.

Power is delivered via a seven-speed DSG gearbox and 4MOTION four-wheel drive, helping to propel the 1,420 kg GTI Roadster from zero to 62 mph in just 3.6 seconds, and on to a top speed of 190 mph.  Stopping power is suitably prodigious, thanks to ceramic brakes that nestle behind 8.5 J x 20-inch wheels with 235/35 tyres at the front and 9.5 J x 20-inch wheels with 275/30 tyres at the rear.

The exterior of the car is painted a new colour, called Gran Turismo Red, which is designed to make the GTI Roadster look fast, even when it is standing still.  The interior features black- and anthracite-coloured sections, contrasted by classic GTI red on the stitching and also on the five-point safety harnesses.

While there are no plans for production, players of GT6 will be able to download the virtual GTI Roadster from mid-June.