[3][4] The Northamptonshire-based team's car is decorated in the colours of the Indian flag, and was driven by the same drivers as in 2008 – Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil.

[7] Adapting to these new components required a minor redesign of several parts of the car, including the suspension, side-pods and the rear aerodynamics.

[7] At the 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix, a revised floor and diffuser for the VJM02 were introduced, as well as an upgraded front wing and reprofiled sidepods.

[12] Despite this, those two points finishes were remarkable: in Belgium, Fisichella got a surprise first pole position for the team and eventually finished second behind Kimi Räikkönen, which eventually gave him a fill-in spot in Ferrari in place of the injured Felipe Massa (Vitantonio Liuzzi being his replacement),[13] while Sutil managed a fourth place and a fastest lap in the next race, the Italian Grand Prix.

[14][15] The car had a new livery, a white base paint with green and orange, denoting to the Indian flag and the Hindi heritage.