Vijay Mallya leaves Force India role

The legal setbacks of Vijay Mallya resulted on May 24 on his departure from the Force India team. A document, published on the website of the British Commercial Court on Wednesday, indicates that the 62-year-old Indian businessman left his position as Managing Director a few days before the Monaco Grand Prix. Vijay Mallya is, however, expected to retain a stake in the team.

This departure is the result of numerous disputes with the British authorities. Refugee in Great Britain since 2016, Vijay Mallya was notably accused of financial fraud and non-reimbursement with several creditors after his airline Kingfisher Airlines went bankrupt. The total damage would amount to more than a billion dollars (or nearly 940 million euros).

In October 2017, the Indian tycoon had been indicted for money laundering, before being released. “Some funds ended up within the Force India team”, indicated at the time the Crown Prosecution Service, the legal prosecution service in Great Britain.

Vijay Mallya had entered the circle of F1 by buying the Dutch team at the end of 2007 Spyker F1 (formerly Jordan Grand Prix). After six rounds, the Indian team is in sixth place in the general Manufacturers' standings with 26 points. Esteban Ocon, sixth in the streets of Monaco, is 12th in the Drivers' table (9 points), and Sergio Pérez is 11th (17 points).