Just… not the way you think.
In 2007, Vijay Mallya bought a struggling F1 team.
He renamed it Force India.
The first ever Indian-owned Formula 1 team.
But this wasn’t just about racing.
Mallya had bigger plans.
He wanted India on the global motorsport map.
And in 2011, it happened:
The Indian Grand Prix was launched at the Buddh International Circuit.
For the first time, Indian fans saw their own team race on home soil.
But the track wasn’t the only place Mallya was playing.
He plastered Kingfisher Airlines on the car, turned the F1 paddock into a marketing machine, and networked with billionaires on the grid.
F1 wasn’t just a sport.
It was his business weapon.
But the empire started crumbling.
Kingfisher Airlines collapsed.
Debt piled up.
And by 2018, Force India folded.
Eventually, a new buyer came in:
Lawrence Stroll.
He revived the team; today, we know it as Aston Martin F1.
So yes, Vijay Mallya did own Aston Martin.
Just not the car company, the F1 team
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