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Vijay Mallya says he is determined to soak up the British grand prix this weekend, having been unable to attend a single race in 2016. The former billionaire had his passport revoked by the Indian government amid the mess and huge debts associated with his failed airline Kingfisher.
It means he has been stuck in the UK, where the F1 circus will now race this weekend for the British grand prix -- just across the road from Force India's Silverstone factory. "I have missed it so I am going to make full use of Silverstone," said the team's boss and co-owner.
But Mallya knows that once F1 starts packing up again on Sunday night, he will not be able to follow his troops to the next grand prix in Hungary. "I have a huge defence on these irrational (Indian government) actions, but I am only interested in a legal settlement," he told The Times. "If that means I can't travel for another six months, then so be it."
But that doesn't mean he is not proud of his team, whose Sergio Perez has been on the podium twice in 2016. And he says even better fortunes could await in the future, if Force India and Sauber's plea to the European Commission for fairer income governance in F1 is successful.
"We are not asking for hundreds of millions," said Mallya. "Just fairness and a level playing field. "This is the year of the underdog -- look at Leicester City. How many people wanted Leicester to win the Premiership? Everyone. But there can be no Leicester in formula one as it is now." (GMM)
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