Sahara Force India is not for sale
Sahara Force India was keen to clarify that the team was not for sale and took the opportunity to reveal the launch date of its new car.
At the beginning of the week, a wild rumor from the Daily Mail alarmed the Twittersphere, widely reported by numerous media outlets, suggesting that Sahara Force India was on the verge of being bought out by Rich Energy, an energy drink company. The British newspaper even went as far as to reveal the transaction amount, estimated at 200 million pounds sterling.
But this takeover seemed highly unlikely as this brand is almost unknown to the general public and currently only supports athletes with low commercial appeal. Being able to mobilize such an amount would have required joining forces with a consortium, which was clearly not the case.
The team has decided to officially respond by stating: « Following recent media speculation regarding the sale of Force India Formula One Team Limited, the shareholders of the company wish to clarify that there are no potential investor offers currently being considered. »
The Silverstone team then confirmed that its car would be unveiled on the morning of the tests in Barcelona and that it would indeed be named the VJM11, the 11th car under Vijay Mallya’s leadership, which clearly shows that the Indian businessman intends to continue disregarding his legal troubles in India and remain at the helm of the team.
On the other hand, it is not excluded that the team may change its name, as the shareholder himself suggested during the last Silverstone Grand Prix last summer.
The first driver to take the wheel of this new single-seater will be the young Russian Nikita Mazepin, who will be in GP3 this season, while Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon will follow, before Nicholas Latifi, their new development driver, concludes the week.
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
