Vijay Mallya exclusive interview: by Kunal Shah for Firstpost

Friend of Talking about F1 Kunal Shah - of Inside Line F1 Podcast fame - has made a major coup of interviewing Force India Team Principal Vijay Mallya for Firstpost. And Kunal's very kindly agreed to share it with us.

The full interview is below, and Mallya discusses his team's growth to by common consent to be the sport's best pound-for-pound performer, the challenges facing the team now and many other matters besides. 

The original interview can be accessed here: http://www.firstpost.com/sports/vijay-mallya-exclusive-interview-i-take-special-satisfaction-when-force-india-are-called-bang-for-buck-world-champions-4347675.html

Photo: Octane Photography

The world of sport offers a unique irony - the passion for sport unites fans and followers all over the world, only to have rivalries split us apart instantly. However, one story that still unites fans despite having different favourites is the story of the underdog.

This column is a celebration of a decade of the Force India Formula 1 Team - the team that has consistently scored points, occasionally ended up on to the podium, but has always won hearts and applauses from the fans for their spirited performances.

In Formula 1's sporting context, Force India is now considered as a benchmark – by pundits, commentators, drivers and even rival teams. However, the journey has definitely not been an easy one for the team given the preferential treatment that was shamelessly meted out (under Bernie Ecclestone's era) for the top teams the sport.

Inside Line F1 Podcast - PR Laps To Hoodwink Sponsors

The second pre-season test is underway in Barcelona. While the form factor of most teams is predictable, in this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Mithila and Kunal wonder which team will actually put in a 'PR' lap. Also, which team needs one the most?

On the note of sponsors, there's talk that Force India might turn pink IF a particular sponsor joins them. We tell you Vijay Mallya's link with the brand and name Pinky and why at least two people wouldn't mind the Force India being coloured pink.

Williams followed up their JCB announcement with a partnership announcement with Bombardier. Is the air plane partner the best (and cheapest) way to transport spares across the world just in case Lance Stroll turns out to be the next Pastor Maldonado?

Finally, we talk about Hamilton-Bottas's team-mate relationship, Hamilton-branded Monster Energy can, the dip in Formula 1 viewership in 2016 before we finally conclude with our 'The Joke's On McLaren' section. Tune in!

Remember to subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes and audioBoom for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour.

The perils of the Party of Five

It appears that I may owe you all an apology.

I had thought that Bernie Ecclestone and the cabal of top F1 teams were merely selfish, complacent and blinkered. In the course of yesterday though I instead was met with the creeping realisation that I may have overestimated them; that rather they are idiotic and wilfully destructive. While remaining selfish.

What I had assumed was merely lethargy may well actually have been strategy.

Are the 'big five' teams planning on a takeover?
Photo: Octane Photography

We all know the state that F1 is in with its finances. We know its manifestations, particularly those of recent days and weeks. We even know in large part why it's happening - that cost control has flopped and what cash there is is massively concentrated among a few at the top. To the point that a couple of teams get each year guaranteed Bernie money just for being them that exceeds what the teams at the back spend on everything in a season. That it persists in large part because the teams - particularly the said big ones via the infamous Strategy Group - get a major say of the sport's governance, with the myriad potential for vested interests therein. All teams look out for number one; turkeys don't vote for Christmas (as was pointed out on Twitter by the inimitable Fake Charlie Whiting, can you imagine Man United getting a say in the laws on how throw-ins are taken?). And that the FIA has been neutered, only getting a third of the say on the sport that is supposed to be its own. As well as that Bernie seems oddly protective of the deformed model he's helped create.