Adrian Sutil is relishing the opportunity to get some running under his belt before the season kicks off, a feat Force India haven't always managed.
In recent seasons, Force India have been rather late out of the starting blocks, giving the team very little time in which to test their car ahead of the first race of the Championship.
But the team's decision to launch their new car a day ahead of this week's Jerez test kicked off, means Sutil and his team-mate will have at least three tests before heading to Bahrain in March.
"It feels very good to be well prepared. It's a much better feeling and if you release a car and it works then you start the season very differently," Sutil told Autosport.
"Last year was already a step. We knew we were late and needed to update our car pretty quick, so we were aware that the first few races weren't that strong. But this year could be different.
"We want to have consistent performance throughout the season from beginning to end and I think we can achieve it."
As for the team's new VJM, Sutil reckons it appears as if it will live up to the team's early expectations.
"It looked really good during the winter, the numbers we got were very good and I'm pleased it showed the same performance on the circuit because it's always something else when it runs," he said.
"It's early days, but I've never had such a good feeling before the season. That's why I'm looking forward to the race."
