planetf1.com

Quite a sad news if true. There are rumours that Force India will be filing for controlled bankruptcy this week corresponding to the American Chapter 11 model. Under this model, the team/entity will live to fight another day, but the ownership would change hands. The creditors thus will get their money later.

No name has been specified about the potential owner but it could be either Lawrence Stroll, BWT or a New York based fund investment company.

Because of this, the entire driver market may get rattled.
https://thesportsrush.com/force-india-t ... er-market/

http://www.autobild.de/artikel/formel-1 ... 32825.html

To be honest this is what all the potential buyers have been waiting for. Why fork out for Mallaya's/Roy's inflated idea of the price for the team when they can just wait for it to well and truly hit the skids and pick up the pieces on the cheap from the administrators? Lots of talk about Stroll Sr forking out for it, Joe Saward reckons Andretti with the backing of the Lafiti family are also hovering, though Miller over at Racer kinda pooh-pooh'd that idea. It's a well run unit performing way above it's pay grade though, someone will pick the team up for sure.

Super Stroll Racing here we come

The Kubica Hype Train is starting up its engines for another run around the block. All aboard!

If it is indeed Lawrence Stroll buying the team, I fear the worst for Williams to be honest, yes they get rid of a not very good driver but they also lose a lot of income in 2019 as well especially with Martini pulling out of F1 at the end of the 2018 season.

owenmahamilton wrote:If it is indeed Lawrence Stroll buying the team, I fear the worst for Williams to be honest, yes they get rid of a not very good driver but they also lose a lot of income in 2019 as well especially with Martini pulling out of F1 at the end of the 2018 season.

Yes, if things go the wrong way we could lose two teams for next season or 2019. What are FIA and Liberty doing to fill up the grid numbers?

Paolo_Lasardi wrote:

owenmahamilton wrote:If it is indeed Lawrence Stroll buying the team, I fear the worst for Williams to be honest, yes they get rid of a not very good driver but they also lose a lot of income in 2019 as well especially with Martini pulling out of F1 at the end of the 2018 season.

Yes, if things go the wrong way we could lose two teams for next season or 2019. What are FIA and Liberty doing to fill up the grid numbers?

Well they at least seem to be trying to fix the revenue distribution. They've at least made a start by admitting that there's a problem. Judging from this the changes may not come soon enough however.

How sad that even a successful midfield team cannot balance the books in the current environment. But it's OK, at least the owners are still paying Ferrari millions each year so that they might grace us with their presence.

Regarding Force India, this has to be the most Duuuh! Moves in professional sports in that Mallya and Roy's denial over what they owe people has seen them stand firm
on a higher asking price, that anyone who is interested in acquiring the team exercising any bit of common sense would laugh at and wait for the team to be forced into
administration and then buy it for cents on the dollar.

Regarding Williams…

While running an F1 team a very costly, it would prove far more costly for F1 as a whole if they lost one of the most iconic teams of all time.
And while in the past many teams have come and gone, none of those could amass the resume of Williams if you piled their accomplishments together.

If Liberty Media is smart, they would help Williams (and FI – They might be called Force India but Jordan Blood still flows through their vascular system,
and THAT… in and of itself is worth preserving) remain afloat until the new distribution model is implemented. Perhaps Bernie Ecclestone can step up
to the plate and help one of his greatest supporters in Sir Frank Williams.

I don't get it, they have sponsors and surely a good budget?

Like what another poster has put if the Stroll family buys them then I'm worried about Williams....

mcdo wrote:Super Stroll Racing here we come

The Kubica Hype Train is starting up its engines for another run around the block. All aboard!

Stroll buying the team is not the problem..his son coming over.

There are loads of reports now talking about Stroll Sr. having bought the team. Auto Bild was the first one to report on this. If my memory serves me right, their reports / rumours turn out to be true. For eg; they were the first to report that they had signed with BWT & the car would be turning to Pink livery.

If Stroll comes over in 1 of the racing seats, it's most likely Ocon will be leaving FI for Renault. Perez might stay or move to Haas, the only team linked to him.

I wish luck to whoever will be in the second seat of that Stroll India. Talk about a number two driver...

So what will the new team name be if Stroll has bought it? How about "Leisurely Stroll"

It may be interesting to see what happens if the Stroll move does happen.

Might he be a handy driver in a car that's better than the Williams, or might this go the same way in a year.

I don't know the ins and outs but I have my concerns over Stroll senior's involvements within Williams.

OK, he's paying some serious cash so will have some say over things, but is he too involved? And with William's financial situation what could they say against him..

I just hope Team Willy can get through this, and I'd love to see them towards the sharp end again.

Yellowbin74 wrote:It may be interesting to see what happens if the Stroll move does happen.

Might he be a handy driver in a car that's better than the Williams, or might this go the same way in a year.

I don't know the ins and outs but I have my concerns over Stroll senior's involvements within Williams.

OK, he's paying some serious cash so will have some say over things, but is he too involved? And with William's financial situation what could they say against him..

I just hope Team Willy can get through this, and I'd love to see them towards the sharp end again.

Or the Latifi family steps in - and then they have a Stroll copy with even less talent ....

I really fear some talented drivers will loose out for 2019 and Perez might be one of them.

Paolo_Lasardi wrote:

Yellowbin74 wrote:It may be interesting to see what happens if the Stroll move does happen.

Might he be a handy driver in a car that's better than the Williams, or might this go the same way in a year.

I don't know the ins and outs but I have my concerns over Stroll senior's involvements within Williams.

OK, he's paying some serious cash so will have some say over things, but is he too involved? And with William's financial situation what could they say against him..

I just hope Team Willy can get through this, and I'd love to see them towards the sharp end again.

Or the Latifi family steps in - and then they have a Stroll copy with even less talent ....

I really fear some talented drivers will loose out for 2019 and Perez might be one of them.

Perez is 1 of the most prized, if not the most prized driver in the midfield. Apart from bringing a good amount of sponsors, he does deliver results as well. He has been linked with a move to Haas.

Who would want to be in the second seat with Stroll in that team. That is a lose lose situation for any young or midfield driver.

Johnson wrote:Who would want to be in the second seat with Stroll in that team. That is a lose lose situation for any young or midfield driver.

Kubica - possibly his only comeback chance.

Apart from that, just like Sirotkin, I do think the kinds of Markelov will gladly take the opportunity.

UnlikeUday wrote:

Paolo_Lasardi wrote:

Yellowbin74 wrote:It may be interesting to see what happens if the Stroll move does happen.

Might he be a handy driver in a car that's better than the Williams, or might this go the same way in a year.

I don't know the ins and outs but I have my concerns over Stroll senior's involvements within Williams.

OK, he's paying some serious cash so will have some say over things, but is he too involved? And with William's financial situation what could they say against him..

I just hope Team Willy can get through this, and I'd love to see them towards the sharp end again.

Or the Latifi family steps in - and then they have a Stroll copy with even less talent ....

I really fear some talented drivers will loose out for 2019 and Perez might be one of them.

Perez is 1 of the most prized, if not the most prized driver in the midfield. Apart from bringing a good amount of sponsors, he does deliver results as well. He has been linked with a move to Haas.

Does he have enough money to help Williams out? That could save us from Latifi ...

Best thing Lance Stroll could do is not drive for his Father's team.

Lojik wrote:So what will the new team name be if Stroll has bought it? How about "Leisurely Stroll"

"PREMA Powerteam", perhaps?

Jenson's Understeer wrote:

Lojik wrote:So what will the new team name be if Stroll has bought it? How about "Leisurely Stroll"

"PREMA Powerteam", perhaps?

Just Strolling

F1 MERCENARY wrote:Regarding Force India, this has to be the most Duuuh! Moves in professional sports in that Mallya and Roy's denial over what they owe people has seen them stand firm
on a higher asking price, that anyone who is interested in acquiring the team exercising any bit of common sense would laugh at and wait for the team to be forced into
administration and then buy it for cents on the dollar.

Regarding Williams…

While running an F1 team a very costly, it would prove far more costly for F1 as a whole if they lost one of the most iconic teams of all time.
And while in the past many teams have come and gone, none of those could amass the resume of Williams if you piled their accomplishments together.

If Liberty Media is smart, they would help Williams (and FI – They might be called Force India but Jordan Blood still flows through their vascular system,

and THAT… in and of itself is worth preserving) remain afloat until the new distribution model is implemented. Perhaps Bernie Ecclestone can step up

to the plate and help one of his greatest supporters in Sir Frank Williams.

If Force India do get taken over, Perez and Ocon would leave the team, Ocon or Perez t o possibly Renault or Haas.

As much as I want Williams to succeed, I do believe Williams internal management structure needs to be criticized as well. I believe the falling out with BMW in 2005 was the start of their decline. Two years previous, they were fighting for the championship and had good drivers with Montoya and Ralf with the most powerful engine at the time.

It wasn't so much a falling out at it was BMW accusing Williams of building a sub-par chassis and then trying to control and run the team their way which Williams said no to rather abruptly, which then lead to BMW trying to buy the team outright only to told no rather firmly. That's when they contacted Sauber and paid Peter a metric ton of dough to buy his team and field it as their own.

These things really aren't quite so Black & White and there is a great deal to the story.

Williams' issues aren't just in their engineering, but also being cash strapped compared to other teams which limits what and how much they can do.
What has been their issue historically is their belief that no driver is worth a significant chunk of change and that is a very flawed way of thinking. While the cars are what they are, the best drivers can extract over half a second, sometimes more from a car than others can. The best thing Williams have going for them currently is Paddy Lowe and I hope he helps them get back to fighting towards the sharp end of the grid in terms of the car itself. But then the problem of not having a top driver will still remain. Hopefully Claire takes a gamble and invests in a top driver to add to the overall improvement of the team.

Fingers crossed on that!

It's one thing for a no-hope backmarker to slide into bankruptcy, it's quite another for a team like FI. Proof if ever it were needed that Liberty need to address the finances of the sport.

Yes, how can a leading midfield team from last year, fall into bankruptcy in the middle of the next season? Something is wrong here.

It has NOTHING to do with the distribution model and EVERYTHING to do with the financial mess Mallya has created for the team on the back end. When companies find themselves out that much money it becomes a serious legal matter and courts and governments get involved and something has to be done.
In this case it's the forced sale of the team.

While they should have received a greater cut of the profits and their standing in championship, for a couple of years they were given that money early and together with their sponsorship budget were able to produce excellent cars. All of that was however on borrowed time and time has run its course.

It's time to pay up and if indeed Lawrence Stroll buys the outfit, he will get it at a steal. Hopefully they get back to being one of the better teams instead of going backwards.

Paolo_Lasardi wrote:

Yellowbin74 wrote:It may be interesting to see what happens if the Stroll move does happen.

Might he be a handy driver in a car that's better than the Williams, or might this go the same way in a year.

I don't know the ins and outs but I have my concerns over Stroll senior's involvements within Williams.

OK, he's paying some serious cash so will have some say over things, but is he too involved? And with William's financial situation what could they say against him..

I just hope Team Willy can get through this, and I'd love to see them towards the sharp end again.

Or the Latifi family steps in - and then they have a Stroll copy with even less talent ....

I really fear some talented drivers will loose out for 2019 and Perez might be one of them.

Latifi doesn't have enough F1 super license points.

F1 MERCENARY wrote:It has NOTHING to do with the distribution model and EVERYTHING to do with the financial mess Mallya has created for the team on the back end. When companies find themselves out that much money it becomes a serious legal matter and courts and governments get involved and something has to be done.
In this case it's the forced sale of the team.

While they should have received a greater cut of the profits and their standing in championship, for a couple of years they were given that money early and together with their sponsorship budget were able to produce excellent cars. All of that was however on borrowed time and time has run its course.

It's time to pay up and if indeed Lawrence Stroll buys the outfit, he will get it at a steal. Hopefully they get back to being one of the better teams instead of going backwards.

With Lance Stroll as the lead driver they will have to build one hell of a car.

Honestly, the car is pretty abysmal this year and the team not quite firing on all cylinders.

The kid has put on a few excellent drives in his time at Williams so statements like that are quite unfair.
Even Kubica said the car is abysmal.

pokerman wrote:

Paolo_Lasardi wrote:

Yellowbin74 wrote:It may be interesting to see what happens if the Stroll move does happen.

Might he be a handy driver in a car that's better than the Williams, or might this go the same way in a year.

I don't know the ins and outs but I have my concerns over Stroll senior's involvements within Williams.

OK, he's paying some serious cash so will have some say over things, but is he too involved? And with William's financial situation what could they say against him..

I just hope Team Willy can get through this, and I'd love to see them towards the sharp end again.

Or the Latifi family steps in - and then they have a Stroll copy with even less talent ....

I really fear some talented drivers will loose out for 2019 and Perez might be one of them.

Latifi doesn't have enough F1 super license points.

Well, isn't there still the backdoor of testing kilometers?
And, I am sure that if the money is there, they will find a way ....

Buying a team for a drive makes complaining about pay drivers seem a bit churlish, no?

It'll be nice to see what FI can do with a proper budget behind them rather than being interrupted and delayed through poor financing as it has been over the last years. With Renault and Haas improving race by race solid investment is exactly what they (and we) want to keep that midfield fight as close as possible. It'll also help sort out whether STR has real talent or not once he is in a good car.

Contrary to some of the opinions upthread I think the 2nd seat there would be a plum drive. If STR is as weak as many of us think he is then it shouldn't be too hard to beat him over the season. If say, PER stays, who thinks STR could beat him in the same car? It'll likely be a repeat of LEC showing that the car is better than ERI makes it look, no? That certainly hasn't hurt LEC this year.

It might even turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Williams. I doubt they could refuse the money if STR wanted to renew and, e.g. getting Merc money and George Russell in the seat might well turn out to be a better move.

Have fun

F1 MERCENARY wrote:Honestly, the car is pretty abysmal this year and the team not quite firing on all cylinders.

The kid has put on a few excellent drives in his time at Williams so statements like that are quite unfair.
Even Kubica said the car is abysmal.

Yeah I sometimes think he gets a bad wrap on this forum. We all concede he's driving an absolute dog of a car, he generally stays out of trouble, he's out performing his team mate, which after all should be his main goal,he usually makes killer starts, his ego seems to be well & truly in check and he's copping a lot of flak with people saying he's only there because of his father, which lets face it, he probably is.

I've been a bit of a supporter of his, mainly due to his attitude, so if he does end up at FI or whatever it'll be called, I hope he silences a few critics.

Jezza13 wrote:

F1 MERCENARY wrote:Honestly, the car is pretty abysmal this year and the team not quite firing on all cylinders.

The kid has put on a few excellent drives in his time at Williams so statements like that are quite unfair.
Even Kubica said the car is abysmal.

Yeah I sometimes think he gets a bad wrap on this forum. We all concede he's driving an absolute dog of a car, he generally stays out of trouble, he's out performing his team mate, which after all should be his main goal,he usually makes killer starts, his ego seems to be well & truly in check and he's copping a lot of flak with people saying he's only there because of his father, which lets face it, he probably is.

I've been a bit of a supporter of his, mainly due to his attitude, so if he does end up at FI or whatever it'll be called, I hope he silences a few critics.

Nice post. I agree

F1 MERCENARY wrote:Honestly, the car is pretty abysmal this year and the team not quite firing on all cylinders.

The kid has put on a few excellent drives in his time at Williams so statements like that are quite unfair.
Even Kubica said the car is abysmal.

From what I can see he's getting out qualified more often than not by a rookie who basically had to buy his way into F1.

Paolo_Lasardi wrote:

pokerman wrote:

Paolo_Lasardi wrote:

Yellowbin74 wrote:It may be interesting to see what happens if the Stroll move does happen.

Might he be a handy driver in a car that's better than the Williams, or might this go the same way in a year.

I don't know the ins and outs but I have my concerns over Stroll senior's involvements within Williams.

OK, he's paying some serious cash so will have some say over things, but is he too involved? And with William's financial situation what could they say against him..

I just hope Team Willy can get through this, and I'd love to see them towards the sharp end again.

Or the Latifi family steps in - and then they have a Stroll copy with even less talent ....

I really fear some talented drivers will loose out for 2019 and Perez might be one of them.

Latifi doesn't have enough F1 super license points.

Well, isn't there still the backdoor of testing kilometers?
And, I am sure that if the money is there, they will find a way ....

I thought that door had been closed, even with F1 testing you now have to have so many F1 super license points, ask Dan Ticktum.

It's Ross Brawn's model to have the very best drivers in F1 so finding back doors around a F1 super license I'm guessing are closed off?

Eddie Jordan is digging through his couch cushions looking for money to buy his team back!

TheBlackFlag wrote:Eddie Jordan is digging through his couch cushions looking for money to buy his team back!

Are You being sarcastic? But it's true, a lot of staff from Jordan days are still working with Force India.

Personally nothing would sound better in my mind and ears that to hear Jordan F1 again.
But going back several years, according to Eddie himself, there is no way he is going to get back into it as a team owner.

Should Stroll buy the team, I am VERY curious to see what engines he chooses to run being as he is a Ferrari aficionado of sorts.

Would be nice for Canada to get a team.

Force Canada!

Oyshe… Force is so overused since Force India was formed.
Mountie F1 sounds more appealing than that. Haha!

Personally I'd love to see Ford & Cosworth back in F1 and with his money and connections it would be cool if he was able to finagle a deal with both of them and field Ford-Cosworth F1 and feature a predominantly black livery OR… the ever iconic gulf livery the GT40's dawn in ALMS.

Super-TROLL F1 Team

Stroll is actually not that bad, and while he had some bad races he is a superstar compared to Sirotkin.