In the month of March and on the 2.752-mile, 13-turn Circuito de Jerez, located in the Jerez de la Frontera region deep in the south of Spain, Force India's Formula 1 team will send out it’s 2009 race machine dubbed the VJM02 to commence testing.

As part of the organization’s new technical alliance with Mercedes-Benz, a Mercedes race engine will power the radical new VJM02. As anticipated, the initial testing schedule for the Fore India team comes later than most as the partnership between McLaren-Mercedes was not signed, sealed and delivered until early November. To that end, the team’s first test will be enveloped in the Formula One group test set for the Circuito de Jerez from March 2nd-4th, 2009

"The new car, VJM02, is under construction," explained team principal Vijay Mallya in the Indian newspaper The Hindustan Times. "It will have McLaren gearbox and Mercedes engine, which is a big change from VJM01. We are going to unveil it at Jerez in early March."

With the season-opening Australian Grand Prix scheduled to run on March 29, 2009, Force India’s testing schedule will, no doubt, be accelerated and of crucial importance as the team will have less than a month to sort the car out before the red lights dissolve to start the 2009 F1 world tour. Nonetheless, Mallya says he is confident both the team and its machinery will be ready to make a go, which he hopes will see the team move up the grid this year.

"We will have six-day test which I think is enough," said Mallya. "Besides, the facilities at our Silverstone factory are up to the mark and I think we would be ready for the first race. I'm confident we can be in the midfield."

As reported last month, Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil are poised to drive the two Force India cars in 2009 with Vitantonio Liuzzi retained as the team’s third driver.

By Eric Johnson