[4] It was driven by Paul di Resta, and Nico Hülkenberg who returned to the sport after spending one year as Force India's test and reserve driver.

[5] Albeit finishing lower than 2011, Force India ended up scoring more points compared to the previous year.

The VJM05 underwent livery changes; the colours were flipped over and the graphics were redesigned from its three predecessors.

At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Whyte & Mackay was replaced with a contest winner's name of the alcohol brand.

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) † Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed greater than 90% of the race distance.