Vijay Mallya on path to remove ‘India’ from F1 team Force India

Vijay Mallya is being pursued by Indian authorities for unpaid loans related to Kingfisher Airlines.

Vijay Mallya has taken steps that might end up removing India from Force India, one of his six businesses of Force One that are registered to his London address. Mallya, who is currently being pursued by authorities for unpaid loans related to Kingfisher Airlines, had registered the six companies in London on May 31 and June 6 using the Force One name, according to listings at Companies House.

Force India director Thiruvannamalai Ventkatesan Lakshmi Kanthan was the only official named for the six businesses – Force One Grand Prix, Force One Racing, Force On Team, Force One Technology, Force One Hospitality and Force One Brand. He also happens to be the only director of Force One Consultancy, which was set up on June 2.

In an interview earlier, Mallya said that he was thinking about changing the name to the Silverstone-based team so that there is an ‘international flavour’ to it and helps attract International buyers.

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“There are some people who believe the current name Force India is restrictive psychologically,” he told Motorsport.com.

“I’m considering along with the other shareholders what steps to take but it’s a major decision and one that is not going to be taken in a hurry without due consideration.”

The 61-year-old fled to Britain in March last year after India accused him of fraud.