Force India 2017 F1 launch date revealed

The Silverstone-based F1 team will unveil its new challenger for the first time the day before world champion squad Mercedes does likewise at the same venue.

Force India is the third F1 squad to reveal its 2017 launch plans. Mercedes is running a competition for fans to attend its launch event on February 23, the day before Ferrari plans to run its new car for the first time at Fiorano.

Force India enjoyed its best F1 season in 2016, beating fellow Mercedes customer team Williams to fourth in the constructors' championship.

The team has improved its competitive standing greatly since it began using Toyota's windtunnel in Cologne for aerodynamic testing in 2015.

Deputy team principal Bob Fernley says the outfit is "relishing" the technical challenge posed by the new rules for this year, which will increase the size, speed and aerodynamic power of the cars.

"This will be the first new generation car that we're producing using a 60% windtunnel model," he told Autosport late last season.

"If you go back through the years, first off all there were 50% models initially done in Brackley, subsequently done at Toyota.

"The [2017] car is the first model we've done which has actually benefited from a 60% model in itself.

"For us it's a good opportunity to have that 60% car on a level playing field.

"Obviously it's not perfectly level, because the other teams have better windtunnel capabilities than we do, but it's closer than it's ever been before and it's a challenge that we're really quite relishing."

Sergio Perez finished a career-best seventh in the world championship with Force India last season, and he will lead the team into 2017 paired with Mercedes junior driver Esteban Ocon, who replaces Renault-bound Nico Hulkenberg.

Pre-season testing gets underway at Barcelona on February 27.