Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Mallya considering Force India name change

Force India co-owner Vijay Mallya is considering changing his Formula One team's name to make the outfit more attractive to potential sponsors.

The Silverstone-based team have gone through various guises already, starting out as Jordan in 1991 and then becoming Midland in 2006 and Spyker in 2007 before Mallya took control in 2008.


Force India have never had an Indian driver, while the team's Indian sponsors were mostly brands linked to aviation and beer tycoon Mallya or co-owner the Sahara Group.

"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," Mallya told motorsport.com.

"There are some people who believe the current name Force India is restrictive psychologically.

"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."

Mallya said there was a proposal on the table from one sponsor about a name change, and his current legal situation had nothing to do with the idea. Mallya last week rejected speculation about a possible sale.

The flamboyant 61-year-old was arrested by British police in April on behalf of the Indian authorities, who accuse him of fraud.

India is seeking Mallya's extradition over unpaid loans tied to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines after the businessman moved to Britain in March last year. He has repeatedly dismissed the charges against him.

It is not the first time Mallya has mooted a team name change -- he also did so in 2015 when there was talk of a deal with sportscar maker Aston Martin and whisky brand Johnnie Walker.

"I named the team Force India only to give India and all of the motorsport fans in my country pride of place on a Formula One grid," he told Reuters at the time.

"But they've enjoyed that for eight years and now they know this team is synonymous and will still be an entry from India flying the Indian flag. So what name we run under is not as critically important as it was for the first three or four years."

Force India finished fourth overall last season, a position they currently occupy after seven races.

More For You

uk-snow-getty

People drive their cars past a landscape covered in snow and along the Snake pass road, in the Peak district, northern England. (Photo: Getty Images)

UK records coldest January night in 15 years at -17.3 degrees Celsius

THE UK recorded its coldest January night in 15 years as temperatures dropped to -17.3 degrees Celsius in Altnaharra, Sutherland, by 9 pm on Friday.

This is the lowest January temperature since 2010, when Altnaharra hit -22.3 degrees Celsius on 8 January, The Guardian reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Veteran journalist Vallabh Kaviraj passes away

Vallabh Kaviraj

Veteran journalist Vallabh Kaviraj passes away

Sudha Kaviraj

MY FATHER, Vallabh Kaviraj, (born March 3, 1932), who passed away at 92 on December 26, 2024, was a pioneering journalist who founded the newspaper, Asian Express, in 1973.

Vallabh was passionate and dedicated to serving the growing Asian community by giving a voice to the group.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chandra Arya

Arya, who represents Nepean in Ottawa and was born in India's Karnataka, made the announcement on X. (Photo: X/@AryaCanada)

Liberal MP Chandra Arya declares bid for prime minister of Canada

CANADA’s Asian MP Chandra Arya has announced his candidacy for the prime ministership, just hours before the Liberal Party confirmed that its next leader will be selected on 9 March.

Arya’s announcement comes days after prime minister Justin Trudeau declared his decision to step down while continuing in office until a new leader is chosen.

Keep ReadingShow less
brain-structures-at-birth-getty

Researchers from the University of Cambridge, UK, examined brain scans of over 500 newborns—236 girls and 278 boys—aged between 0 and 28 days. (Representational image: iStock)

Girls have more grey matter, boys more white matter at birth: Study

A NEW study has found that newborn girls and boys have distinct brain structures at birth. While boys tend to have larger brains with more white matter, girls have significantly more grey matter, which is linked to learning, speech, and cognition.

Published in the journal Biology of Sex Differences, the study suggests these differences may result from biological sex-specific development in the womb.

Keep ReadingShow less
Essar-Oil-UK-Getty

Essar Oil UK is advancing decarbonization at its Stanlow Refinery with two key projects supported by Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) grants. (Photo: Getty Images)

Essar, 24 other firms get £51.9m to cut industrial carbon emissions

THE GOVERNMENT has allocated £51.9 million to support 25 businesses in reducing carbon emissions as part of the Plan for Change aimed at driving economic growth and rebuilding Britain.

The funding covers projects across various industries, including food manufacturing, cement production, and glass processing.
Companies receiving funding include Essar Oil UK, Nestlé's coffee processing site in Staffordshire, Heinz's baked bean factory in Wigan, and Hanson Cement in North Wales.

Keep ReadingShow less