What happened to the Force India F1 team? Looking back at the history of Fernando Alonso's team

Fernando Alonso has had a monstrous start to the 2023 season compared to the recent time he has spent on the grid with teams like Alpine and McLaren. But his move to Aston Martin was questioned by many, as the team was not even close to being more competitive than most of the grid.

Their development and upgrade in the season can be noticed fairly well, as the team now stands second in the championship (it was seventh in 2022). However, the team has a history of its own.

Aston Martin did not come into existence until the 2021 season, and it is a rather long story that roots back to the 2008 season of Formula 1, when a team of Indian origin found its place on the grid.

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Force India F1 Team

The Force India Formula 1 team, owned by Vijay Mallya (who also relaunched Kingfisher), remains the only Indian team to ever be on the grid. In 2007, Mallya and a Dutch businessman named Michel Mol bought out Spyker F1 to give birth to Force India. Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil were the first to drive for the team.

The first season ended with no points for the team; however, luck was on its way in the future seasons of the sport. After their initial season with Ferrari engines, they switched to Mercedes and ended the 2009 season with 13 points. In 2012, an Indian company, Sahara India Pariwar, bought shares of Force India, and the team was then called Sahara Force India.

They became iconic in the midfield, especially after signing Sergio Perez, who was able to pull off some grand finishes for them. They finished P4 in the standings twice, consecutively, in 2016 and 2017.

Sergio Perez pulls Sahara Force India to the podium in Baku, European Grand Prix, 2016 (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

How did Force India's downfall mark Fernando Alonso's return to the F1 podium?

Vijay Mallya indulged in racing himself in one way or another. His drivers in the 2018 season, Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez, were fond of him, as revealed in the first season of Netflix's Drive to Survive. However, the 2018 season marked a dark time for the businessman.

Racing Point Force India F1 Team/Racing Point F1

Mallya was accused of fraud and defaulting on loans, and hence was asked to pay a sum of £200,000 (₹18.1 million) by a court in the UK. He went bankrupt and could not afford to run the team.

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Lawrence Stroll, a Canadian businessman, bought Force India. Interestingly, his son, Lance Stroll, was racing with Williams that season. The legality of the team was questioned, and then the FIA excluded Force India's entry in the standings, and Racing Point Force India F1 Team was then allowed to race for the remainder of the season.

Aston Martin

The 2019 season saw Lance Stroll as Perez's teammate in what was now called Racing Point. They raced under this branding for two seasons, witnessing Perez's first and iconic F1 victory, before being rebranded to Aston Martin in 2021. This is where Fernando Alonso's story begins.

The 2021 season also marked Fernando Alonso's return to the F1 grid with Alpine, and Sebastian Vettel had now joined Stroll behind the Aston Martin wheel as Perez was signed by Red Bull.

Fernando Alonso's 2021 season saw him finish P10 in the championship, but with an impressive podium during the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix. Although he finished a place higher in 2022, the season was hardly good for him.

After Vettel announced his retirement from the sport in 2022, Fernando Alonso announced his move to Aston Martin. Given the team's performance, this move was speculated to not be the best one because Alpine was expected to develop.

However, as far as the 2023 season has gone, Fernando Alonso has been on the podium four times out of the five races that have been held. Meanwhile, Aston Martin stands second in the constructors' standings, while Alpine is still in sixth. This proves that his decision to switch teams was indeed the best one.