[shortbread]

There has been a variety of news floating about lately, in regards to the Force India F1 team. This includes a name change and being bought out by a consortium of buyers under the 'Brabham' name.

Either ways this would be a sad end to a racing team that has been there for more than a decade in the field and has created a reputation for being the most 'bang for buck' in the racing business. Only if the infamous owner could run rest of his enterprise in the same manner. Back to the topic; in-spite of the team's name being dragged along with adjectives like bankruptcy, obesity etc... Force India still has a reputation it can be proud of. Also despite having very little association with the nation, the name has some emotional connect to India which otherwise till recently had little or no connect with International motor-sport.

I was hoping to see the name continue into the future. While it's future in F1 is unlikely I hope the name is not erased for good. Maybe a team in Formula E might be an option. With an annual team budget under $5 Million, and two of the biggest names in the Indian industry associated with it, i.e Tata and Mahindra, a Force India Formula E team looks like a great opportunity.

I hope looking into the future the 'Force India' name isn't limited to a Wiki page!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by shortbread

This includes a name change

They're going to drop 'India' from the name and I wholeheartedly agree with that. There's nothing Indian about the team.

being bought out by a consortium of buyers under the 'Brabham' name.

I thought this news died out? Any recent reliable links you can share?

Either ways this would be a sad end to a racing team that has been there for more than a decade in the field and has created a reputation for being the most 'bang for buck' in the racing business

I still respect Force India for their achievements on a limited budget. Would say times are actually good for them as they recently announced a factory upgrade.

Don't think they are going anywhere.

[shortbread]

Originally Posted by GTO

I thought this news died out? Any recent reliable links you can share?

Quite a lot in the British automotive press:

https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/mot...ible-f1-buy-in

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/m...brand-launched

Don't know how accurate the rumors are, but the Brabham brand has been relaunched.

Originally Posted by GTO

I still respect Force India for their achievements on a limited budget. Would say times are actually good for them as they recently announced a factory upgrade.

Don't think they are going anywhere.

I know the Force India name is bit of a misnomer and that while the factory/team will continue the name could dissapear! But it has strong brand recall and a decent following in India. I was hoping someone will leverage this rather than be confined to history books. With two Indian manufacturers directly and indirectly involved with Formula E, I think it will be a perfect fit.

[fz_rider]

With no branding on the garage, car, as well as race suits, It looks bye bye Force India.

[sgiitk]

I agree Force India is a misnomer, with both the major sponsors gone. Let a new group take it over, and change the name. Whether Brabham is revived or some other name comes, is all fine with me.

[fz_rider]

Strong rumour says Rich Energy Drinks led consortium is going to buy SFI for 200 million dollar. Announcement to be out soon.

[condor]

Question: Does a team need to be bought over ? Can a team not just drop out - and that "licence" / spot be bid for by an interested entrant ?

or is it cheaper to buy out a team ?

[Monolithic]

Originally Posted by fz_rider

With no branding on the garage, car, as well as race suits, It looks bye bye Force India.

I looked at the 2017 car and even that doesn't have Force India Brand anywhere on it, except FI on the nose. It is the same as 2018's car.

It is the same case with the driver's suit too. FI wasn't there last year and is not there this year too.

Originally Posted by condor

Question: Does a team need to be bought over ? Can a team not just drop out - and that "licence" / spot be bid for by an interested entrant ?

or is it cheaper to buy out a team ?

If you mean a team just withdrawing without selling itself, then it is not financially viable to them unless they plan to participate in other motorsports. This is because they already have all the infrastructure in place and ultimately they'd have to be sold if they're not being used.

Creating a new team would involve years of investment before it turns profit, like FI. I think buying out an existing team with good infra and record would be cheaper.

[FINTAIL]

Mallya resigns as Force India director but stays team boss.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...-boss-1043454/

Vijay Mallya has resigned as a director of Force India and is expected to hand his board role to his son Siddharth, but he remains the team principal of the Formula 1 team.

[glikithvinayaka]

Rich Energy drink just posted this on twitter, hinting at a possible buyout of Sahara Force India.

[glikithvinayaka]

Andretti Autosport looking to enter F1 via Force India purchase

The Montreal weekend had been fairly quiet for news apart from the appearance in the paddock of Michael Andretti, who was obviously up to his neck in negotiating a deal to run Fernando Alonso in Indycars next year. This looks likely to happen, if the money can be found. The whisper is that the team could be sponsored by the telecommunications company Sprint, because McLaren people have strong links with Sprint's new CEO Michel Combes, who use to be a Vodafone executive. He was seen with McLaren at Monaco and at the Detroit IndyCar races last week. He is also a member of McLaren's Business Advisory Group.

However, it was clear that this was not Michael's only purpose for being in Montreal, as he was accompanied by his company president J-F Thormann and the familiar figure of Pieter Rossi, father of Andretti driver, Indy 500 winner and sometime F1 driver, Alexander Rossi. You wouldn't need the other two to get a deal with Alonso to race an Andretti-run, McLaren-badged Indycar, so it was obvious that they were also up to other things. Visits to Liberty Media and Force India suggested that they were there to sniff around and see if a deal could be put together to acquire the troubled team. It seems, from multiple sources, that a financial solution is required VERY quickly if Force India is going to avoid getting into financial and legal trouble. Current owners Vijay Mallya and Subrata Roy do not have cash available to pay for Formula 1. The best case scenario is that they will sell the team for less than they want (not that they will be getting the money) and will then be able to issue a press release saying that they are happy to pass the team on to the next generation of owners, blah-di-blah. The worst case scenario is that these people will run the team into administration because no-one will pay the price they want. Creditors are getting worried (including Mercedes, which is owed a very considerable sum, north of $20 million). If a sale is not agreed it is inevitable that administration will happen and then someone will swoop in and buy the assets (including the all-important commercial agreement). This is a cheaper option for potential buyers but it means that F1 will get bad publicity and the creditors will only get a few cents on the dollars owed. The option is for Mercedes or Liberty Media to buy the team and flip it to a new owner, although there is no sign of either one taking that kind of a risk.

Right now, Vijay and Roy (which sounds like some kind of Las Vegas stage show)*look like a pair of Wile E. Coyotes running off a cliff, still not quite understanding the gravity of the situation…

Having an Andretti team in F1 would be a terrific thing as the World Championship seeks to make a bigger impression in the United States. This is a great opportunity as there is a competitive turnkey F1 operation, which would simply require a bit of rebranding, but Andretti and is unlikely to jump in unless he knows what it is going to cost, and that is not going to be certain until we get an answer to the question of the F1 budget cap - and the length of its glide path.* If there are budget limits for F1 teams and a solid date on which these things will happen, then all manner of exciting things can happen, but for the moment, the talk continues. It would probably be better if the talk stopped and actions were taken. That might upset some of the current companies in F1 but it would almost certainly attract others. But speed is now essential of else we may start losing F1 teams that can no longer fly along on empty. And Force India is not the only team in financial peril.

Given what is happening at Force India, there are rumours that Mercedes is now considering what to do if Force India crashes and the plan seems to be to transfer Esteban Ocon to Renault, as a replacement for Carlos Sainz (who is a Red Bull driver). Sainz moved to Renault last season because the team wanted a stronger challenge as Jolyon Palmer was struggling to fill the role. Sainz has done well enough to support Nico Hulkenberg, but he has not been beating him enough to turn himself into a must-have driver. Renault has long wanted Ocon (because he is French) and in the past Mercedes has loaned him to them as a reserve driver. Esteban is still the most likely to take over from Lewis Hamilton as and when he retires, but that is likely to be at least another three years. The word is that Sainz has been talking to McLaren, with the goal being to replace Alonso, but the team might prefer to invest in reserve driver Lando Norris. Stoffel Vandoorne's future with the team is yet to be settled, but he has done a decent job against Alonso.

Source

[sgiitk]

All I will agree with is that Force India is a misnomer and a joke. We need a sponsor who can afford to keep it going. With both Sahara(Subroto Roy) and Mallya in worse than the doghouse, how long can it survive.

[motorworks]

I think Rich energy is now out of the picture. It did not make any sense when the rumours came up since Rich energy is not on the same level as Redbull, who promote a lot other sports and almost run it like a business rather than just sponsorship.

Going by the way how many of the smaller teams like Marussia and HRT changes hands, it only makes sense for some one with genuine motorsports interest, more as a business, to buy out Force India rather any random drinks company. One good example is Haas, they have their racing and motorsports interest and pedigree, and they are doing a pretty good job at the moment.

If Andretti does want to enter F1, force India would offer them a good base. But my guess is that they will wait until the 2021 engine regulations and other commercial aspects are finalised.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

All I will agree with is that Force India is a misnomer and a joke. We need a sponsor who can afford to keep it going. With both Sahara(Subroto Roy) and Mallya in worse than the doghouse, how long can it survive.

Mallya is at every race with headphones on with his team. I saw him have a gala time at the British GP. Not sure of all the loopholes these big people find, doghouses are for ordinary people who default on personal loans.

[FINTAIL]

Lawrence Stroll - the guy who successfully led Michael Kors to a very successful IPO has bought over Force India.

Wonder what they will rename the team as- Stroll Force?

And yes, Lance Stroll is almost certain to be the #1 driver. Who will be the #2 driver?

https://thesportsrush.com/lawrence-s...t-force-india/