A fresh update on F1 circuit has revealed that Sahara Force India Formula One team has been in talks with Aston Martin for a new deal. Post talks, Force India could likely be rebranded as Aston Martin Racing for 2016. This could also mark a grand entry for Aston Martin brand name being used in Formula One in more than 5 decades since its last known presence spanning between 1959 and 1960.
As stated by Autocar India, Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal said, “If tomorrow someone comes and offers me a good sum of money for title sponsorship, I'll seek the team name. If the marque comes along and I have to change the team name, I have to look at what it does for the team in terms of profile. It's premature to talk about it now, but we're talking. Nothing is done until it's done. I don't like to count my chickens until they are hatched.” Adding to it, Force India spokesman said, “We continue to have a number of discussions about 2016 and beyond with both our current and new partners who see a commercial value in a relationship with Force India. When the time is right we will make suitable announcements in conjunction with our commercial partners. The future remains very bright for the team.”
Mercedes-Benz who also owns 5% stake in Aston Martin is also an engine supplier to Force India, thereby offering an added benefit on technical support aspect. Aston Martin had also reportedly been in talks earlier with Red Bull to mark an entry on the F1 circuit, but finally decided on Force India. The company aims to take-on strongly against rivals like McLaren and Ferrari on the race track.
