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Vijay Mallya has said he named his Formula One team ‘Force India’ instead of ‘Mallya F1’ to showcase Indian patriotism.
Vijay Mallya walks on the paddock of the Monaco racetrack on May 24, 2008 in Monte Carlo.
(AFP Photo)
Indian fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya has said he chose to name his Formula One team ‘Force India’ because he wanted the tricolor to be at the pinnacle of motorsport. Speaking in a podcast, which was released on Thursday (June 4), the 69-year-old said he could have ‘easily named it Mallya Formula One’ if not for his patriotism for the country, which was his ‘core reason’ for the investment in the sport.
Force India was formed in 2007 and was based out of Silverstone, United Kingdom. It had a rough start, finishing 29 races without points (both drivers coming further than 10th in a grid of 20), and eventually ended with six podium finishes. In 2018, when Mallya was facing the ire of the Indian government for defaulting on several thousand crores of loans, he was forced to sell it.
“I named it Force India, I could have easily named it Mallya Formula One, like Williams Formula One, for instance,” Mallya said on the Raj Shamani podcast. “[I did that] because I wanted the Indian flag to be on the grid. I wanted the world to know that a team with roots in India, of all countries, was at the pinnacle of motorsport. I had the tri-color on the car. Of course, I also used the platform to advertise my brands… but the core reason was to put an Indian Formula One team on the grid,” he added.
Explaining the mindset behind investing in the extremely expensive sport in the first place, Mallya said it was always his ‘dream’ to own a Formula One team.
“I have always had racing in my blood, and I have always loved racing cars. I was the Chairman of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India for many years. The job of the federation was to promote motorsports in India. For anyone who wants to do motor racing, the absolute pinnacle of motorsports in the world is Formula One. The image of Formula One — big bucks, glamor, seriously competitive racing divided by 100th of seconds, full of excitement, etc, etc — all the attributes I have implied in different ways for my brand. Plus, being a motor sport enthusiast, it was a dream to have a team on the F1 grid. When the opportunity presented itself, I did,” he said.
Mallya was also asked if he regrets the decision because he had to sell the team. The businessman denied that, saying he had no regrets and would do it all over again.
A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you live updates, breaking news, opinions and photos from the wide world of sport. Follow @News18Sports
A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you live updates, breaking news, opinions and photos from the wide world of sport. Follow @News18Sports
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