28/06/2017
NEWS STORY
Following weeks of speculation, it appears that Force India is on the verge of becoming Force One Racing.
Speaking earlier this month, team co-owner Vijay Mallya told Motorsport.com: "There is a growing feeling that maybe since we are a much-improved team in terms of performance and attracting more international sponsors, and sadly less Indian sponsors, there is a debate as to why the name should not be changed to give it a more international flavour.
"There are some people who believe the current name Force India is restrictive psychologically," he admitted. "I'm considering along with the other shareholders what steps to take but it's a major decision and one that is not going to be taken in a hurry without due consideration. More importantly, we have to look at the way the F1 scenario is unfolding under Liberty ownership. If they follow the NFL model, then of course the name becomes even more important because it's a franchise model where the focus is on the name. But the current pattern may continue.
"These are all issues I'll consider with the other shareholders before arriving at any final conclusion."
However, it has been revealed that two weeks prior to his comments, six businesses were registered at Companies House in London: Force One Grand Prix, Force One Racing, Force One Team, Force One Technology, Force One Hospitality and Force One Brand.
In each case the only official named is was Thiruvannamalai Ventkatesan Lakshmi Kanthan, who is currently a director at Force India and sole director of Force One Consultancy, which was set up on June 2.
Other than the change of team name - which would have to be approved by the Formula One Commission - Mallya has other things on his mind, in the shape of his battle against extradition as banks in India pursue him for $1.4bm his (now defunct) airline, Kingfisher, is said to owe.