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Force India owner Dr Vijay Mallya has indicated that he is more than satisfied with the team's 2017 driver lineup, adding that its Mexican star Sergio Perez should only consider a move if he is offered a Ferrari seat.
The Indian businessman was speaking to Auto Motor und Sport following his only public appearance of the season so far at the British Grand Prix. He is currently unable to travel elsewhere due to the seizing of his passport by India's authorities in the midst of ongoing legal troubles - but has denied that this will lead to the sale of Force India. "There are no contacts," Mallya insisted. Over 10 years we have gained respect and had success. I would now like to enjoy it."
Moving onto the matter of his legal predicament in India, he added that these would be fully addressed as he continues to oversee the team from the UK: "I will face my responsibilities in India. But until now there have been only allegations and not a single piece of hard evidence. But the team would survive without me, so I sleep peacefully as I know Force India is well-positioned."
It has already been reported that Force India is considering a name change for 2018 in order to create a more international brand image, but one thing Mallya is not keen to change is its drivers. Esteban Ocon already has a contract for next year, whilst Perez should - in Mallya's opinion - only give thought to moving if Maranello comes calling. "Otherwise, he is in the best hands with us, and I think he appreciates that," he said.
Mason Hawker
Grand Prix of Belgium
C. Sainz jr
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Wolfgang
Posts: 313
Perez is probably one of the drivers the other teams don´t want, so i´m pretty sure he is going to stay at Force India..
--> Look at Ocon he is i´d say quite new in this F1 business and already performing nearly as good as Perez who is now i think 7-8 years in F1.. Give Ocon one more year and ... [Read more]