Force India Contemplating a Name Change for 2018

Published 06/15/2017, 12:20 PM EDT

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Force India owner Vijay Mallya has revealed that the outfit is planning to change the team’s name in order to attract more sponsors. Back in 2008, business tycoon Mallya bought the Spyker team and renamed it Force India in an effort to put the subcontinent on the F1 map. After a few bumps along the road, the Indian outfit managed to impress with each passing season. From their first pole position in Spa 2009, to 4th in the 2016 constructor’s standings, Force India have come a long way.

via Imago

However, while the team has attracted international sponsors like BWT, there has been a lack of response from Indian companies. “There is a growing feeling that maybe since we are a much-improved team in terms of performance and attracting more international sponsors, and sadly less Indian sponsors, there is a debate as to why the name should not be changed to give it a more international flavour,” Mallya said. “There are some people who believe the current name Force India is restrictive psychologically.”

This was not the first time that Force India was on the verge of a name change, in 2016, the team was nearly re-christened Aston Martin Racing, but the deal fell apart at the final stretch. Mallya said that a potential sponsor proposed the idea of a name change, but the businessman also admitted that there were additional sponsors waiting in the wings.

via Imago

“This is nothing new. I haven’t in the last few years considered any name change. He said “It’s purely to do with current sponsorship, a proposal on the table and sponsorship going forward for the team.”

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Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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