With 27 days until the first day of pre-season testing, Force India is the first team to announce its launch date.

The Silverstone-based outfit took to Twitter today to announce that the VMJ08 will be launched on 21 January.

The launch will take place at the iconic Soumaya Museum in Mexico city close to the head office of sponsor America Movil.

Finishing a strong sixth in 2014, having led McLaren for much of the season, the Mercedes-powered team will be looking to build on its performance this year.

In many ways, 2014 was the team's best season to date, though it finished sixth, as in 2013 and 2011, it scored more points than ever before and its second ever podium finish.

Though the team scored points in all but two races, not for the first time it was a season of two halves. This time around however, the drop-off over the second half of the year wasn't the result of regulation changes.

Both Hulkenberg and Perez are retained, and though the German scored points in 15 of the 19 rounds, compared to his teammate's 12 points finishes, he never really impressed and his decision to contest Le Mans with Porsche this year appears to indicate that the love affair with F1 in gradually waning.

Perez, who scored that elusive podium result (Bahrain) was on target to repeat the feat in Canada until being hit from behind by Massa, both drivers still refusing to accept even a hint of blame. The stewards subsequently his the Mexican with a 5-place grid penalty ruling that he had changed his racing line and therefore caused the collision. In Austria the Mexican briefly led the race but was eventually to slip back to sixth.

In a year which saw the demise of Caterham and Marussia, and the chasm between the sport's haves and have-nots grow ever wider, the team was at the forefront in terms of the argument to reduce costs.

Chris Balfe