Force India to Bow Out of F1?

F1 fans could receive a major shock in the coming months as it is being reported in certain outlets that Force India could shut shop if it is not bought out by any investor soon.

Rafael Lopes, a correspondent who works for Brazilian outlet, Globo said, “In Austria, Chase Carey [Liberty CEO] had a long meeting behind closed doors with Bob Fernley [Force India deputy Principal].”

The team is a small unit born out of the Spyker F1 team, based in Silverstone. The next week’s British Grand Prix is the home race for them and they celebrated their 200 Grand Prix at Austria.

Force India has been suffering from cash flow issues for a while now and their driver, Sergio Perez, admitted that it was affecting the cars as well, with no new upgrades in place yet.

They have requested Liberty Media to give them an advance on their official prize money but the rules are such that the owners cannot forward it to them unless they have the consent of other teams.

There was still some hope for them as the report said that some buyers were interested. “One is an American with connections to Liberty Media owner, John Malone. Another is a Russian and there is Andreas Weissenbacher, owner of main sponsor, BWT”, it stated.

Their engine supplier, Mercedes were asked about the situation post the dramatic Austrian Grand Prix. “The financial situation is tense, but on the sporting side they are doing well and so it should be interesting for investors”, said Toto Wolff.

It is a shame if the report does turn out to be true as Force India has been quite competitive, despite not operating on a heavy budget like the Ferraris or Mercedes.

They are solid midfield runners, who are capable of the odd podium too, with their latest coming in Azerbaijan when Sergio Perez finished 3.