11/09/2008
NEWS STORY
Force India boss Vijay Mallya has dismissed speculation that he is already having second thoughts about his decision to enter F1, having discovered that to be competitive in F1 means spending the sort of money that makes even billionaires wince, while admitting that the first season has not been without its problems.
This weekend marks the first anniversary of Mallya's purchase of the former Spyker/Midland/Jordan team, and it would be fair to say that a lot has happened in the last twelve months.
While the team has yet to score its maiden point, having come so very close in Monaco, media attention is focussed on talk of a growing rift between Team Principal Colin Kolles and Technical Director Mike Gascoyne, and also talk of Mallaya having, financially, bitten off more than he can chew.
Not so, says the Indian airline and drinks billionaire.
"I have been around (F1) for 12 years," he told Reuters. "I had no illusions. I was a sponsor at Toyota and I know how much their budget is.
"Prior to that, I was a sponsor at Benetton," he continued, "and I know what their budget was. So I've come into this with my eyes wide open. The question of me suddenly becoming disillusioned because I face something I haven't anticipated is rubbish. I wouldn't be here if I hadn't anticipated what I was getting into."
Referring to the Kolles/Gascoyne 'rift', he continued: "Unfortunately in the paddock there is a lot of rumour-mongering. Yes, there may be differences of opinion but these differences started even before I took over the team.
"You know, disagreements are healthy also," he added. "They are not necessarily all negative. If there are disagreements between two members of a team, it cannot be blown out of proportion."
However, in order that nobody is under any illusions, he added: "Everybody knows I am the boss and I make the decisions.
"Team principal is a very general term," he continued, referring to Kolles, the Romanian-born dentist who joined Midland under Alex Shnaider, the man who bought Jordan before eventually selling out to Spyker. With rumours that Shnaider never received all his money, there is talk that Kolles remains his 'man on in the inside'.
"Titles don't necessarily mean job content," said Mallya. "Your understanding may be that a team principal is in charge of everything and has a completely free hand to do as he feels. The answer is absolutely not. I am the chairman and managing director of the company and the team, so arguably I could be the team principal. Colin performs a role that I give him to perform and he's accountable to me. He does what I tell him to do. I take the final decision."