Force India is in talks to be taken over. British newspapers The Sun and the Daily Mail report that talks are taking place with a consortium led by British energy drink company Rich Energy.
The news comes as the Silverstone based team considers changing its name, and amid owner and boss Vijay Mallya's well-publicised legal troubles. The reports say the takeover group is led by Rich Energy founder William Storey but also backed by "a wealthy consortium of business figures".
Rich Energy and Force India would not comment, but the Daily Mail cited sources that suggested the deal could be worth $280 million. (GMM)
Replies (17)
Login to replyKean
Posts: 692
It's probably just me but... I've heard of Red Bull, I've heard of Celsius, Monster and isn't there a drink called Burn? But Rich Energy? Never heard of it.
Bhurt
Posts: 320
Same here. Must be a British thing we don't get in the more civilized parts of the world.
Barron
Posts: 625
I suppose the irony of you replying in English has been lost then?
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
How?
mcbhargav
Posts: 1,332
and thats exactly why they may want to spend their marketing money to buy Force F1.
Barron
Posts: 625
Sorry, was that a question for me Calle.itw? If it was, I’ll explain. The inference in Bhurt’s post is that Britain somehow “isn’t a civilised part of the world” and so I highlighted the irony which is of course, that he replied in English..Yes? Ironic humour is one of the great strengths of this “uncivilised” country of course..
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Yes it was. Oh, fair enough. I personally love irony, but when its written, and especially when Im tired from work, I dont really catch up on it very much. And I still have that deal with Thermo Fischer in place, cant exactly break it yet, so Im afraid Im stuck with these sarchasm sensors for another while. Delightful, for sure.
Bhurt
Posts: 320
@BARRON - oh yeah the irony of me replying in English on an English speaking forum is tremendous... You really got me there ^^
reg
Posts: 162
Well I'm from UK and have never heard of them either!
Seems to be trying to be the Louis Vuitton of energy drinks, hope they are well funded! They will need to be!
Norbert
Posts: 108
Yea, I wonder who these mysterious buyers will turn out to be? I think a lot of people will agree that VJ needs to go, and take a well deserved holiday back home in India. People there really seem to be missing him.
mcbhargav
Posts: 1,332
Yep. A cell might be waiting for him.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
So excited for Force India. I've wondered for s couple of years now why nobody had attempted a takeover. The team is incredibly lean. 4th best on the grid two years in a row. With proper funding and that Mercedes engine I see them fighting for regular podiums and odd wins
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Note the criteria "proper funding". Chances are that the new owners will do a Kaltenborn, just make sure the team survives rather than blossom while milking the profits you can from it.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
@calle oh please don't jinx it! Just bringing up Monisha K makes me cringe when it comes to finances. I just hope Force India gets a chance. Their budget-to-performance ratio is simply remarkable. The best in F1.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
*Stops in the middle of chanting hexes* But... B-B-But...
Yeah, I really hope Im wrong, but I cant help but being very suspicious and pessimistic when it comes to these things. The last thing we need is for Force India to be the toy of a big corporation that isnt really in it to do well. I would much prefer something with stakes in this, like Aston Martin, Pagani or some other company with ties to Mercedes. I hope Im wrong about them.
Barron
Posts: 625
I wonder if any of that money will go to Mallya and if it does, how he’ll stash it beyond the reach of the Indian authorities who are still trying to nail him. But I hope the team will continue to flourish without him, not knowing how much ‘hands-on’ he actually does. They punch well above their weight and F1 doesn’t need to lose such a team..
RogerF1
Posts: 501
By the look of the web site it seems bad timing with the loss of grid girls