Homegrown talent given a boost as new team owner promises to nurture young stars.
Despite insisting there is no pressure on him to run an Indian driver in his team, Force India owner Vijay Mallya has revealed he will nevertheless be helping to unearth promising young homegrown aces in a bid to firmly establish the nation as a permanent Formula 1 fixture in the years to come.
Mallya took over the former Spyker F1 outfit towards the end of last year, and has signed up the experienced Giancarlo Fisichella to partner 2007 incumbent Adrian Sutil on the driving strength, with fellow Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi assuming testing duties.
Much has been made of Mallya's failure to choose an Indian driver for either role, with both GP2 star Karun Chandhok and A1GP race-winner Narain Karthikeyan having been linked to the Silverstone-based squad. The 52-year-old, however, has now confirmed he will work with the Autosport Academy Asia in Malaysia - formed after the Motorsports Association of India (MAI), of which Mallya is the chairman, collaborated with continental motor racing bodies - to help groom potential Indian F1 aces for a future in the top flight.
"The MAI will identify deserving young Indian drivers, who will be supported by Force India to undergo a driver training course at the academy," he told the Press Trust of India (PTI). "Drivers who show exceptional ability will then be further supported by Force India to race in selected European championships.
"The principal objective is to identify, train and eventually prepare an Indian driver for the Force India F1 Team to compete in the FIA Formula One World Championship."
The academy - based at the Johar circuit in Malaysia - will be affiliated to the French Motorsport Federation (FFSA), which runs a driver training programme in Formula Campus single-seaters at its Le Mans facility.
The Asia academy will have two driver courses to assess potential, with prizes on offer for the best candidates from each. The first prize will be a drive at La Sarthe - where there will also be a €60,000 subsidy from the FIA allocated from McLaren's 2007 fine - and the second a €30,000 subsidy.
