Force India have announced that they will switch to a pink colour scheme from the start of the 2017 season after securing a major new sponsor.

he team launched and tested their Mercedes-powered VJM10 in a familiar silver and black livery, but it will be rolled out in unfamiliar bright pink at the first race in Australia next week.

Speaking about the team’s new acquisition and change of identity, Team Principal and Managing Director Dr Vijay Mallya said: “The arrival of BWT in Formula One is huge news and represents one of the most significant partnerships in our ten year history. It’s a sign of how far we have come as a team with our strong results and completes a solid commercial performance over the winter.

“For 2017 our cars will sport a vibrant new colour scheme with a smart matte finish. Changing the colour of our cars is an indication of the strength of this new partnership and a real statement of intent from BWT as they begin their relationship with the sport of Formula One.”

Force India have also confirmed that their drivers, Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, will wear pink helmets "to complement the unique BWT pink car".

McLaren would win Formula One races if they swapped Honda engines for Mercedes, says Eric Boullier

• McLaren take another swipe at engine suppliers Honda via their racing director
• The British team's relationship with Honda is in crisis ahead of the new campaign
• McLaren completed fewer laps and were down on power in Barcelona testing
• Boullier says they would be competing for titles if they had Mercedes engines

McLaren have aimed another swipe at their beleaguered engine supplier Honda by declaring they would be winning in Formula One if they were powered by Mercedes.

The British team's relationship with Honda is in crisis ahead of the new campaign after a dour eight days of pre-season testing in which they were struck down by a number of reliability issues.

McLaren completed the least mileage of all F1's 10 teams in Barcelona, while the Honda engine is also down on speed.

Double world champion Fernando Alonso was heavily critical of Honda at last week's final test, and racing director Eric Boullier has added fuel to the fire with his comments that McLaren would be fighting at the sharp end of the grid if Mercedes supplied their engines.

McLaren were powered by Mercedes for nearly two decades but ended their relationship in 2015 to team up with Honda - the Japanese car manufacturer with whom they enjoyed great success in the late 1980s.

'I think we would be winning again,' said Boullier when asked how McLaren may fare with a Mercedes engine. 'The truth is we're having more problems than we expected. We knew we'd encounter some things, but truly not as many as we're seeing.

'The only solution is to keep working hard. The problem is the timing. We should be fixing these issues in January, not in March.'

McLaren, who have won a combined 20 drivers' and constructors' championships, have endured a miserable time of it in recent years.

They have not won a race since Jenson Button triumphed at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2012 and finished a lowly sixth in last season's constructors' championship.

McLaren are entering their third of a 10-year deal with Honda, and while both sides publicly insist they have no intention to pull the plug, their on-track troubles are significantly harming both brands.

Alonso, who has won 32 races in a career which yielded the last of his two championships more than a decade ago, is out of contract at the end of the season.

And the 35-year-old, who staged talks with Mercedes over their recent vacancy following Nico Rosberg's retirement, has said he would take a decision on his next move after the summer break.

Speaking to Spanish publication AS, Boullier added: 'I think Fernando is being honest with us, just as we're being honest with him.

'He first wanted to see how the new car was and how the new regulations are. He likes the new F1 and he wants to be competitive because he has talent to show the world and to himself.

'We need to be competitive to keep him happy. If we're competitive he'll be happy and if not he'll take his own decisions.'

Nico Rosberg has admitted that he could return to Formula 1 as a team boss some day.

The new reigning world champion shocked the world by retiring just days after winning the 2016 title, but was back for a visit to the Barcelona test paddock recently.

However, he told Germany's Sport Bild: "A comeback as a driver is impossible."

That does not mean that he will not have mixed emotions when the five lights go out on the Melbourne gantry next weekend.

"There will certainly be some strange moments when I see the first race on TV," said the 31-year-old. "I am still a huge fan of Formula 1."

Yet he is not looking to fill his calendar anytime soon.

"I am looking for new projects and I have to say I'm really relaxed," he said.

"Twenty races a year is like being on a hamster wheel. I would also say that it's the best hamster wheel in the world!

"I am a passionate competitor and I enjoyed my career very much. But formula one is not a pony yard. To beat everyone and be world champion you have to be absolutely uncompromising and my goal was everything."

However, Rosberg is not ruling out a return in another capacity one day, for instance as a team boss.

"I'm not saying no," he answered. "A lot is possible. But at the moment, I am mostly concerned with social projects. Children and less privileged people - that means a lot to me."

There are also other opportunities in motor sport, Rosberg added.

"One would be helping other drivers on their way to success in an advisory and managing role," he said.

He insists that he is in no rush for that, as he is currently enjoying the "extreme freedom" that quitting F1 has given him.

"I've achieved everything I wanted. My new life is now an equally great challenge that I want to master just as successfully," said Rosberg.

The 2017 season gets under way next Sunday.