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By: Matt Beer

Summary

Status: Stopped

That's it for now. Thanks for joining us. We'll be back tomorrow, live from Silverstone, as Mercedes rolls into town to unveil its 2017 challenger.
 
And that concludes the presentation at Silverstone, with the drivers and team personnel getting a short break before our team on the ground get an opportunity to grab them for an interview.
Mallya refuses to set expectations for this year, but he adds: "We have stepped up year-on-year, exceeded expectations and punched above our weight - so that's the way it's going to be."
As well as the 'aggressive' nose design, note the big step where the nose drops down from the chassis

As well as the 'aggressive' nose design, note the big step where the nose drops down from the chassis

"It looks very demanding physically," says Checo of the wider 2017 F1 challenger. "I struggle to think how we will manage Monaco and Baku, as they are really tight, we need to open up a bit the corners maybe."
 
Chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer says Force India stopped developing the 2016 car and switched complete focus to this season last May. "We started early enough in the hope we start the 2017 season as we finished the 2016 season," he adds.
Another look at the VJM10

Another look at the VJM10

Technical chief Andrew Green says the team was "effectively starting from scratch, a new jigsaw we had to put together".
Mallya says Force India has planned to develop the car strongly throughout the year - "that's an imperative". He adds that from what the team has seen from the data, this car is a "cracker".
 
And there she is, the VJM10. Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon, Vijay Mallya pose for a photo with the new machine.
VJM10 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5RnZHQWcAAc-SS.jpg<br><br>

VJM10 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5RnZHQWcAAc-SS.jpg

Ocon says his aim is to learn from the team and from his experienced team-mate. "I hope I will learn a lot from him in the test," he adds. "My goal is then to be on the pace straightaway." Perez believes Ocon will be "pushing me from the first race" and jokes he hopes he can "keep him under control".
 
"It makes me feel confident that in the four years I've been in the team, I know the right people have been working on this car," says Checo. "At the end of last year, we were the fourth fastest car. I do expect to have a very big year for the team."
Perez reckons 2017 will be like stepping up from from GP2 to F1 again. Let's hope so!
Checo says he has worked hard to cope with the new physical demands but expects to be exhausted after a first day in the car at pre-season testing, which starts at Barcelona on February 27.
"This is one of the most exciting moments of the year, unveiling your new car," says Checo. Ocon says the winter has been the "most intense" as drivers have had to physically strengthen to cope with the faster 2017 cars.
Pinkham hands over to Croft, who welcomes Sergio Perez onto the stage along with Esteban Ocon.
Mallya full of effusive praise for his team - arguably the most successful for its level of spend in the championship. That praise is well deserved following last year's achievements.
Mallya says the team's objective is to break into the top three. In reaction to Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul's comments that Formula 1 will turn into a spending "arms race" between the big teams in 2017, with smaller outfits such as Force India left behind, Mallya said: "He might have to eat his words. It's not the amount of arms you have, it's the quality of your armoury."
 
"If we did not dream big, we would not have finished fourth in the world championship last year," adds Mallya. "To be in the company of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari is a compliment in itself."
"Many commentators of the sport have always said we punch above our weight," says Mallya. "To be described as the world champions in terms of money spent is a huge compliment."
And we're underway at Silverstone with Natalie Pinkham welcoming team principal Vijay Mallya to the stage.
 
The launch presentation is set to kick off around 2pm UK time, with Sky F1's David Croft and Natalie Pinkham the hosts.
Renault launched in London yesterday and said the car would change between now and next week's first test. Bob Fernley says the Force India is "99 per cent" the car we'll see in Barcelona.
Sergio Perez has stayed onboard for the fourth year in a row, but will have a new team-mate in 2017 after Nico Hulkenberg's departure to Renault. Mercedes junior and former Manor driver Esteban Ocon has joined the outfit on a multi-year deal.
Force India had its best ever season in 2016, finishing fourth in the constructors’ championship after a season-long battle with Williams.
I'm at Silverstone today, and I've just had a brief chat with Force India technical director Andrew Green ahead of the launch. He says his team have done a fantastic job designing and building the new car. He's just desperate to get going now and find out what it can do.
 
F1 2017 began with the Williams FW40 breaking cover with exclusive images on Autosport and Motorsport.com on Friday, before Sauber released images of its challenger on Monday.

Yesterday, Renault became the first manufacturer team to launch its new car, at an event in London and today, it’s the turn of Force India.
Afternoon all and a very warm welcome to Autosport's live coverage of the latest stage of Formula 1’s ‘launch season’.

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