Meanwhile in India (Part 42) December 11, 2013 by Joe Saward The Dutch brewing giant Heineken has become the largest shareholder of Vijay Mallya’s United Breweries Ltd (UBL), raising questions about who should now manage the firm. This is important because some of Force India’s funding comes from the UB empire, which has already lost control of United Spirits, which is now run by Britain’s Diageo. The changes are the result of the empire becoming overextended by Mallya’s desire to run Kingfisher Airlines, which is now basically defunct with huge debts. Mallya is fighting to hold on to what remains of his empire, with creditors circling his wagon train wanting their loans repaid. All of this raises questions about the money supply for Force India, particularly as Mallya’s partner on the business, Roy Sahara is himself in trouble, having been ordered by the Supreme Court to repay investors to the tune of $3.2 billion. The team continues to say that all is well – which is good news if it is true. However, the word is that Force India will be taking a driver with money in 2014 and we have even heard that Hulkenberg might be switched to Lotus if the Enstone team gets money from Quantum, which would it to offload Pastor Maldonado to Force India. That may sound fanciful, but in F1 nothing is ever impossible, so it will be worth watching. Heineken bought 1.3 percent of United Brewery shares on Tuesday from Citicorp, raising its share to 38.7 percent. Mallya owns 37.4 percent. The shares purchased are reported to have been pledged as collateral for a loan made by Citicorp to UB Group, the parent company of UBL. They key question now is whether Heineken tries to replace the current UBL management, led by Mallya. In addition to his financial problems, Roy Sahara is now also facing charges of criminal contempt, issued by Supreme Court on Monday in relation to an investigation into the 2G Spectrum Scandal that allegedly involved politicians and government officials illegally undercharging mobile phone companies for 2G licences. Sahara is accused of having tried to interfere with the justice system. Whatever next? joeblogsf1 | The real stories from inside the F1 paddock
Then in 2015, Kimi will buy out the remaining shareholders, and the team will finally become Heineken Raikkenen.
What I would like to see out of this is some sharp looking Heineken Beer logo'ed cars in a sweet green with red star! This story is making me thirsty for one : ) maybe they could get a pretzel company to be the co sponsor! Admittedly it is the end of a long day at worker and I am thirsting for a beer, but I think it would still be a good idea : )
that's not a bad driver lineup. force india was never a serious contender anyway though they did have some races where they looked very strong.
It's a really strong driver line up IMO. I'm not all that big on Perez but getting Hulk was a great move for them.
F1: Di Resta Admits Perez Likely To Replace Him | SPEED | The Motors On FOX Blog Maybe he will come to Indycar and take cousin Dario's place in the series?
That is second best line up in f1 behind rudbull . Two good young that don't cost much and have looked good on track with up side . I'm still puzzled by McLaren . Ldm has the most costly line up in history with only downside good job clown hack lawyer
If finances could be assured a very exciting pairing to watch. Perez is not one to yield quickly nor is Hulk. Some internal team fireworks await
Perez has to improve quali considerably, otherwise he'll be overshadowed by Hulk in a big way. Hulk has proved he's a quick qualifier and very consistent in the race. It is a good combo nonetheless. I'm looking forward this pairing. I just hope that the Force India can deliver given the amount of changes in the regulations.
Perez back in a midfield team. Maybe it's his time to shine. But Hulkenberg won't be an easy team mate to deal with. I think this is Perez's last shot to stay in F1.
