2518 replies to this topic

[FullThrottleF1]

https://www.auto-mot...ager-gp-kanada/

Force India is in dire straits according at AMUS. They also report that there are 5 interested buyers. Some addition info from Joe Saward is that Michael Andretti was meeting with the team at the Canadian GP.

[Risil]

Wow! Best of luck to the folks at Silverstone. F1 can ill afford to lose a team of such quality and tenacity.

[OvDrone]

Michael Andretti?! Oh wow YASPLEASE

[HistoryFan]

Michael Andretti together with the father of Alexander Rossi. But don't know where he has the money from...

[zold]

Any information on the five parties then?
Andretti is one.
Surely something involving Colin Kolles will be another...

Edited by zold, 13 June 2018 - 14:42.

[maximilian]

"Rich Energy" was rumored, but that seems like BS to me...

 

I would imagine Lawrence Stroll would be VERY interested in getting Lance out of this horrid Williams ASAP, too...

[Zava]

quick, someone tell Zoran Stefanovic!

[Fastcake]

It's all very reminiscent of the Lotus situation in 2015. We've known about Mallya's woes for quite some time, but it appears the various problems are finally starting to catch up to the team. Let's just hope they've got enough money to tide themselves over for the immediate future, and rather importantly, unlike Lotus they don't get HMRC involved by falling behind with tax and NI payments.

[shonguiz]

Maybe McLaren should buy it.

[KWSN - DSM]

Andretti with Rossi would make sense in a F1 and F1's hunger for relevance in the US.

 

[Rinehart]

The cheque is in the post...

[SenorSjon]

Alonso F1. You've heard it here first. The only way to get the best engines.

 

Edit:

 

It is only a snippet in AMUS with nothing new really.

 

Mallya tritt zurück

Force India ist in akuten Geldnöten. Das F1-Management hilft gerade mit einem Kredit aus. Als Gegenleistung gab Teamgründer Vijay Mallya seinen Direktorposten auf, bleibt aber Teamchef. Insgesamt stehen fünf Kaufinteressenten bereit.

Edited by SenorSjon, 13 June 2018 - 15:03.

[statman]

some recent background info:

 

Last month it was revealed that Vijay Mallya has resigned from his role of Force India’s Formula 1 team’s director, handing the reigns to his son Siddharth in the board comprising the team’s other shareholders, including Sahara Group’s Subrata Roy.

 

As things stand, they hold 42.5 percent shares with Roy having the other 42.5 percent and the remainder is held by Dutch businessman Michiel Mol – Mallya and Mol were the original buyers of the team from the previous owners with Roy joining in, in 2011.

[JHSingo]

Once again, it doesn't say anything good about the sport that the best team outside of the "big three" for the last few years is in such difficulty.

 

Things need to change, and fast.

[jonpollak]

Arundatti Roy F1

[l8apex]

I don't think the Andretti family has F1 money.  Yes they are very wealthy, but F1 is a ridiculous money pit. 

 

If the Andretti family was smart, they would stay away.  Unless they have some big backer that is going to put the actual money in and they just use your name and manage the team.

[AustinF1]

I don't think the Andretti family has F1 money.  Yes they are very wealthy, but F1 is a ridiculous money pit. 

 

If the Andretti family was smart, they would stay away.  Unless they have some big backer that is going to put the actual money in and they just use your name and manage the team.

IIRC what Saward alluded to was Andretti + Rossi backers in Silicon Valley. Plenty of money there. 

 

Hmmm .... Andretti & Rossi also get along very well with Mr. Alonso. He could bring a substantial amount of money as well. 

[mclarensmps]

Do it Ron! You know you want to

Edited by mclarensmps, 13 June 2018 - 16:53.

[PedroDiCasttro]

I can see Lawrence Stroll trying to buy his son a seat there, he seems fed up with Williams.

Edited by PedroDiCasttro, 13 June 2018 - 17:07.

[AustinF1]

Do it Ron! You know you want to

Yep. Or Stefano...

[jjcale]

Well done Liberty .... this is more like it. 

 

Concern yourselves with real issues and real problems ... not side issues and distractions ...

[PedroDiCasttro]

Yep. Or Stefano...

A Lamborghini team? Hell, yeah!

[zold]

I wonder if there are any recently retired billionaires looking for a way back into F1...

[djparky]

I don't see either Andretti or Rossi doing this- it's one thing buying the team, another to find the $150m a year just to run in the midfield. Compared to winning in Indy Car for a fraction of the money

I could see the strolls jumping ship

[SenorSjon]

I wonder if there are any recently retired billionaires looking for a way back into F1...

Apple also has heaps of money that gets taxed when brought in the US. Could easily burn it on a F1 team.

If a retired billionare doesn't want his children to inherit the family fortune, he should buy the team. It will make you millionaire in no time.

Edited by SenorSjon, 13 June 2018 - 17:24.

[RA2]

Back in 2004 Jordan was in discussion with the owners of this great team, would have been a welcome addition from that part of the world 

 

[Pete_f1]

This is why something needs to change in the early 2020s.

[Atreiu]

5 buyers? Seems like a lot.

 

I mean, if it's so interested to get gullible rich people ready to burn through their finances, I'll quit my job and become a con artist.

[Peter Perfect]

Has Dietrich Mateschitz been mentioned yet? 

[zold]

If a retired billionare doesn't want his children to inherit the family fortune, he should buy the team. It will make you millionaire in no time.

The retired billionaire I had in mind was pretty good at making money from F1...

[DaddyCool]

Not to dismiss the validity of this report, but this is like the fifth year in a row where we get a 'Force India is in grave danger' rumor after 5-6 races, yet here they are, still.

[w1Y]

Apple F1

[Cig35]

This is exactly what the Swedish commentators mentioned as a rumour in the paddock during last weekend. Including a group with Andretti and Rossi's father and some more unnamed persons and that the FI financial situation was really bad compared to the situation just a few months ago according to the rumour. That rumour also mentioned that Stroll had looked into the team but had been so disappointed that he had backed away...

But it's just a rumour so we just have to wait and see

[w1Y]

This only works if the backers have serious money or strong and stable cashflow to support it.

Too many come in thinking they can balance the books or make money or simply use it as a tool for their own finance situation. Do they run a fit and proper person process on this?

[HillHamiltonButton]

this story has been running for most of the last decade, I won't care till something actually happens cause it hasn't for the last hundred times this has been rumoured. 

[johnmhinds]

IIRC what Saward alluded to was Andretti + Rossi backers in Silicon Valley. Plenty of money there.

Hmmm .... Andretti & Rossi also get along very well with Mr. Alonso. He could bring a substantial amount of money as well.

Surprised that Joe Saward would even mention Silicon Valley again after he got his hands burnt with his nonsense Apple rumours.

The guy is really a hack these days with the way he claims random high profile companies are going to buy Force India all the time in the hope that he will get lucky enough to pick the right one.

[johnmhinds]

I wonder if there are any recently retired billionaires looking for a way back into F1...

Would Bernie be able to buy a team while still being a Liberty employee?

[weston]

I can't see the past tense.

Does not look like a done deal. At least not yet.

Edited by weston, 13 June 2018 - 19:47.

[GTA]

Real shame that the 4th place team for the last 2 years and the best non-manufacturer outfit is in this situation. 

[SenorSjon]

The retired billionaire I had in mind was pretty good at making money from F1...

 

And he could also try to leave as little money behind.

 

This is exactly what the Swedish commentators mentioned as a rumour in the paddock during last weekend. Including a group with Andretti and Rossi's father and some more unnamed persons and that the FI financial situation was really bad compared to the situation just a few months ago according to the rumour. That rumour also mentioned that Stroll had looked into the team but had been so disappointed that he had backed away...

But it's just a rumour so we just have to wait and see

 

Yeah, driving a Williams boat anchor around does wonders for his son career.

[StanBarrett2]

Has Dietrich Mateschitz been mentioned yet? 

Red Force ?  or   Forza Rosso ?

[HP]

Real shame that the 4th place team for the last 2 years and the best non-manufacturer outfit is in this situation. 

Question though is how much this situation is because of Mallya.

[Widefoot2]

Not to be a vulture, but if FI does go down, McLaren should try to bring in all the design engineers left, as well as the senior management.  Damn good work they've done.

[Loosenut]

Maybe McLaren should buy it.

Many a true word spoken in jest..
I wonder if that is actually a possibility? Andretti/McLaren doing indy, Andretti (+ XYZ backers) buy Force India and Andretti F1 have a Haas-like deal with McLaren? Then they don't need to find such a huge money tree to shake and McLaren have rear gunners like all the other big boys, albeit gunners who are shooting from in front of them right now!

I'd rather they just give it back to Eddie tho.

[F1 Mike]

I think Williams should buy it and sell their current one. It'll be cheaper than fixing their current situation!

[ArrowsLivery]

Any information on the five parties then?
Andretti is one.
Surely something involving Colin Kolles will be another...

 

Keep that useless Kolles as far away as possible from Force India!

[Gary Davies]

Surprised that Joe Saward would even mention Silicon Valley again after he got his hands burnt with his nonsense Apple rumours.

The guy is really a hack these days with the way he claims random high profile companies are going to buy Force India all the time in the hope that he will get lucky enough to pick the right one.

I wonder if you might remind me of the claims about Apple and McLaren Saward made? I recall he reported on the affair but I cannot recall exactly what he said. Of course, the matter was widely reported including by such distinguished organs as the Financial Times, so if as you claim, Saward's hands were burnt, so were many others.

[Garndell]

I really hope FI can carry on like they are now (even if under new owners), would hate for them to change ownership and fall down the pecking order, that's why we still have Williams...

 

Apple F1

 

The car would bend when the driver sat in it.

[johnmhinds]

I wonder if you might remind me of the claims about Apple and McLaren Saward made? I recall he reported on the affair but I cannot recall exactly what he said. Of course, the matter was widely reported including by such distinguished organs as the Financial Times, so if as you claim, Saward's hands were burnt, so were many others.

I wasn’t talking about his Apple/McLaren rumour, that was even more nonsense.

I was talking about the time he said that Apple were one of the companies looking to buy F1 because they needed live sports to promote the Apple TV.

https://joesaward.wo...middle-england/

And then a week later he had to write a post that backtracked his claims and admitted it was just random speculation on his part.

https://www.google.c...ple-and-f1/amp/

[BalanceUT]

5 buyers? Seems like a lot.

 

I mean, if it's so interested to get gullible rich people ready to burn through their finances, I'll quit my job and become a con artist.

It's a thing, of course: https://www.vanityfa...ckefeller200901