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The people of India expect us to beat Mercedes: Mallya
In an interview to a German automobile magazine, Force India boss Dr. Vijay Mallya has claimed that it’s possible for Force India to achieve success like the Red Bull team. When the magazine Auto Motor und Sport asked Mallya whether achieving success like the non-car engine maker team of Red Bull is a realistic target for India’s maiden F1 team, Mallya replied, “Why not? Subrata Roy’s vision is to be as good as Red Bull but he’s so excited that I have to stop him a bit. There are no short-cuts in Formula One.” Subrata Roy is the founder and chairman of the Sahara India Pariwar and has recently picked up 42.5% stake in the Force India team.
Talking about the expectations back home, Mallya told, “The Indian people are proud that we have been able to create a team for the country to play an important role in Formula One. Without our success we have attracted a larger group of supporters.” Mallya, chairman of United Breweries and Kingfisher Airlines, had bought the Spyker F1 team in 2007 and renamed it as Force India.
2011 was the most successful season for the Silverstone based F1 team when it finished sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, with just four points less than the fifth-placed Renault.
Mallya also spoke about how Indian fans’ expectations are increasing with each season. “The people of India expect us to beat Mercedes now. Now it’s getting difficult to meet the demands.”
Force India has progressed continuously since its first season. In its first season in 2008, it finished at 10th position. In the 2009 season, it ended the season at 9th place. But in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, it has proved itself to be a force to reckon with after ending the season at 7th and 6th positions respectively.
