Sahara to break off from Force India

The Sahara Group, which owns 42.5 per cent stake in Force India, sought permission from the Supreme Court to start discussions on a possible sale of its shares in the team to raise money to bail out its Chairman, Subrata Roy, who has been lodged in Tihar jail since March 2014.

Sahara and Force India... end of a partnership.

After its best ever performance, a fifth-place finish in 2015, trouble might be brewing for the Formula One team Sahara Force India. On Tuesday, the Sahara Group, which owns 42.5 per cent stake in the team, sought permission from the Supreme Court to start discussions on a possible sale of its shares in the team to raise money to bail out its Chairman, Subrata Roy, who has been lodged in Tihar jail since March 2014.

Last year, Force India was in talks with the British supercar manufacturer, Aston Martin, for a possible sponsorship/partnership deal that would have seen the team re-branded. But earlier this year, the team’s COO Otmar Szafnauer had said the deal was not on the cards for the 2016 season.

Vijay Mallya, who bought the team in 2008, sold 42.5 per cent stake to Sahara in 2011 while he owns a same percentage with Dutch businessman Michiel Mol, owning the remaining 15 per cent.

The Sahara branding has been less prominent on the cars and the team’s overalls for sometime, indicating little investment from the group. Sahara branding was often replaced by Mexican companies like Telcel and Claro, who joined the team along with the Mexican driver, Sergio Perez, in 2014.