Brabham name may return to F1 at the expense of Force India

The Sahara Force India Formula One team have been the dark horses for a number of seasons ever since Giancarlo Fisichella’s pole position in Spa Francorchamps in 2009. In 2016, they finished 4th in the constructors standings ahead of Williams and behind Ferrari. Earlier this year, part-owner Vijay Mallya was arrested by Scotland Yard and will soon be extradited to India. While it does not affect the team performance-wise, it affects them financially.

Now, it seems that the team has been linked to a potential buyout by Brabham. The team has already been put out for sale for around 200 million to 270 million euros. David Brabham, son of triple world champion Jack Brabham, has admitted that there is a Brabham project in the works. David has been raising funds to finance the Brabham project for three years now. “Brabham is a brand with more than 69 years of racing heritage and it is our intention to see the name back on track,” he said. “Since Project Brabham was launched, we have received a lot of enquiries from different parties who have expressed an interest in licensing the name and we are evaluating a number of options. We have no further comment.” said Brabham.

If the deal goes through, Brabham will follow a McLaren style of business model so that they can also table plans to come out with a Brabham branded supercar. Sir Jack Brabham was the only person who has won a Formula One world championship in a car of his own make. The team first entered Formula One in 1962 and raced at the pinnacle of motorsport for 30 years including 2 world championships in 1966 and 1967.