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Force India usually starts the season strongly, then slips back as its development stagnates, but this year the opposite happened, with the car improving throughout the season and securing a podium finish in Russia, which bodes well for 2016.
When the lights went out at Force India headquarters during the offseason, the prospect of competing for the entire season seemed increasingly uncertain. A winter marked by financial difficulties forced the team to scramble to get two VJM08 chassis on the starting grid in Melbourne, which it did by making a few evolutionary changes to the 2014 car.
The first version of the 2015 car was outclassed from the outset, its only assets being the raw power of the Mercedes engine and the occasional flashes of genius from a remarkably fit Sergio Pérez. While Pérez kept the points tally going, the most unexpected highlight of the season came from Germany's Nico Hülkenberg, who left the F1 paddock to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, giving Force India rare global attention. The turning point came at the British Grand Prix, where the long-awaited B-spec version of the Indian car finally made its debut. From Silverstone onwards, Pérez only missed out on points twice and even finished on the podium in Russia after an aggressive race. Hülkenberg, although slightly less consistent than his teammate, still scored enough points to propel the team to fifth place in the constructors' championship, the best result since the team's debut in 2008. The season's scenario reversed the trend of previous years. In the past, Force India launched a competitive car, flirted with podium finishes early on, and then faded when its limited resources hampered its development. In 2015, the opposite happened: a modest start imposed by financial constraints, followed by a relentless, albeit imposed, development program that allowed the car to continue to improve until the second half of the year. The improvements made at the end of the season led to significant gains in both qualifying and racing, allowing the team to excel on several occasions.
For 2016, the momentum created by the launch of the B version could transform Force India into a regular podium contender, provided that the budget cap does not close the door once again. Once again, the financial results will determine whether the team can continue its technical ascent or whether it will be forced to return to survival mode.
