IND F1 Team - Force India captured Spyker F1 but Spice failed to capture Aguri

[jaydeep]

Yeah, team's name will be 'Force India' F1 team ... As per report from Sukhwant Basra, Mallya isn't interested in signing Karthikeyan ... Unofficially names which r making rounds r of Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher ... So now it is interesting to see who will drive at Barcelona test from 13th to 15th November, 2007.

Narain off Mallya’s radar?

[akmohanty]

That doesn't sound good. Let's hope something materialises with either Narain or Karun  To be fair however, one should accept that Narain has underperformed a number of times by now incl. the recent 2 races in A1 GP. He should get his act together asap and turn in some noticeable performances. From that point of view in fact, Karun has done reasonably well in the later part of the GP2 season and Mallya could seriously be considering him as an option in the long term.

[kallu]

i think in some other report mallaya said karun should stay another year in GP2..  Sutil has done well this year, so wont be surprised if gets picked by another team. So if there are 2 vacant seats i think NK still has a very good chance....Even if he is not on the f1 grid next year, i am not too fussed, because hopefully he will be racing in A1

[jaydeep]

International Automobile Federation (FIA) accepted name change request of Spyker to the Force India Formula One team from next season ... Mallya is determined to keep German rookie driver Adrian Sutil with the Force India Formula One team and as per him an Indian driver was an option but not an immediate priority ... Also team logo will be in the colours of the Indian flag.

[jaydeep]

Nice detailed interview of Mr. Vijay Mallya about Force India and his plans and Formula1.com.

Exclusive interview - Force India's Vijay Mallya

Speaking of Karun Chandhok, he is like a son to me as we have an excellent family relationship. The fact that he tested for Red Bull Racing was fantastic but I think he has a little way to go. I am sure his father is very keen that I sign him up for Force India F1 but I made it clear that he needs to show me his performance in GP2 next year, and if he is good enough, there can be nothing better than a Force India team, an Indian GP and an Indian driver. That would be absolutely perfect! But even if two of the three elements are covered it is still a huge accomplishment.

Jaydeep.

[jaydeep]

Nice website of Force India with Indian tri colours ...

http://www.forceindiaf1.com

[jaydeep]

In his interview Vijay Mallya targeting a podium finish in 2010 when India hosts its maiden GP ... He was also very supportive to Karun promising to consider him for atleast test driver’s role, if not the race driver’s seat, in 2009. 

Mallya promises to consider Karun

“I know his family for a long, long time and he is like my son. He himself felt he needs to spend one more year in the GP2, where he is doing quite well, before he is ready for F-1.”

“A new GP2 season beckons him and if he manages to do well — and he would be driving for a top team this time — we might consider him for the race driver’s role itself.” 

“I can assure you that he would be considered at least for the test driver’s role.”

[jaydeep]

And now Spice Group are in talks with Super Aguri about taking a possible stake in the Formula One team ... Decision will be declared in a week time ... If deal get finalise then Spice want Narain to race for them this year.

Spice Group curently handling A1GP team.

Spice Group eyes stake in F1 team

[akmohanty]

sounds encouraging, even though at the end there is something -ve about Narain not being the right person as per Honda as he is not good at providing engineering feedback. 

[suresh]

If Narain is really not good at giving engineering feedback, he must really work on it as if he were preparing for an Indian style exam! F1 is not about just sitting in the car and driving as fast as you can.

[jaydeep]

Other hand Spice is very happy with his feedback in A1GP and we see improvement in Indian A1GP's performance ... Narain also had experiance of F1 teams, so I m not agree with Mr. Fry's remark.

Check some part of article from TOI.

Spice Energy’s deal with Super Aguri, offering to underwrite Aguri’s $66 million debt, much to the delight of Honda ... Quite amusingly, if the deal works out Spice would end up shelling out $66 million plus 1 full dollar as token amount.

Honda is keen to continue with Britain’s Anthony Davidson as one of the drivers. But experts r asking to Fry, “If Davidson is really that good why has Fry not opted for him in his own team.”. It’s more than obvious an Indian team with an Indian driver would bring in a lot more sponsorship than Honda can dream of with Davidson at the wheel.

Spice Energy, however, had no hesitation in making its stand clear. “To begin with, the discussions are at a very preliminary stage. Right now they are centred on commercial feasibility. But our main mission is to support Indian drivers and give Narain the opportunity to drive in F1 again. So you can say the deal is contingent on this condition.”

Interestingly, the deal with the cash-strapped Super Aguri is expected to see Honda providing engines to the Leafield-based team for two years — 2008 and 2009. More importantly, it will also ensure that the Super Aguri drivers will have the same car, the same chassis and engine as the Honda drivers, a definite step-up for the backmarkers.

[jaydeep]

Check this TOI article about Spice Energy's dream -

Spice wants to energise Indian motorsports
Ruhi Batra

New Delhi: For Spice Energy, acquiring a Formula One team isn’t just a business proposition. It’s part of a dream, a “mission to provide Indian drivers a footprint.’’ It’s a vision that envisages Indian drivers being the norm rather than the rarity.

It’s also a sentiment, as rightly pointed out by Andaleeb Sehgal, “difficult to accept.’’

That’s why Spice has set up Team India Motor Racing Limited — of which Sehgal is the CEO — a vertical that has already taken over A1 Team India and will acquire Super Aguri, if the deal with the F1 outfit comes through.

“TATA did a lot for football. It’s surely not because Ratan Tata wanted to earn money off it. We understand that people don’t fully appreciate our sentiments of developing motorsports in India. We at Team India are a bunch of young, racing enthusiasts who are willing to experiment. We always knew that if the opportunity arose to get involved in F1 we would go for it, either as an owner or sponsor. Also, we felt that if we could tie up the top end — Formula One and A1 — we could build the bottom around it,’’ explains Sehgal.

To build on his point, he adds, “There’s already a structure in place in India that allows Indian drivers to come up to a certain level. What we want to do is tell the drivers that there’s a way they can reach the very highest level.

“If we don’t insist on an Indian driver, then how will Indian motorsports come of age,’’ asks Sehgal, reasserting their demand to have an Indian driver as part of any F1 deal. The biggest task on their hands is to create awareness of and interest in motorsports. Assuming control of the A1 Team India was the first step in this direction. A win later, they have shown that they can be successful in their venture and now want to take the sport to the masses.

“There’s not much infrastructure in India. We don’t want it to be limited to 1,200 kms around a spot. We want to make racing pan-India. We think street-circuits are the most realistic and practical way of taking racing out there. We want to approach state governments with our idea of street races,’’ adds Neha Rastogi, spokesperson for TIML.

Given the disposition of the world towards India, it’s a vision that has the approval of the A1 bosses.

Keen to build a presence in India, Tony Texeira will be in India in April.

[akmohanty]

pretty disparaging comments these from Nick Fry 

Honda to demand competence in SAF1 pairing.

isn't he the same one who has taken honda on a downward spiral since he has taken over, not to mention the fuel tank controversy which sullied their name significantly a couple of years back 

[kallu]

totally baseless comments from Nick... anyway if Honda isnt prepared to pay all superaguri bills, who cares what Nick Fry thinks..

[akmohanty]

read today that a Russian investor is now looking to buy Super Aguri and the Spice deal is in the backburner.  does not sound good for Narain.