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Force India denies reports of financial issues
'We are still alive' says chief operating officer Szafnauer.
GMM
Edited: Jan 29, 2015, 1:52 PM
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Force India has denied reports it is the latest F1 team fighting for its survival.
The Silverstone-based team took on and almost beat the British grandee McLaren in 2014, but it will begin the new season by sitting out the first winter test at Jerez.
It has triggered speculation Force India, whose co-owners Vijay Mallya and Subrata Roy are suffering well-documented off-track troubles, is on the verge of insolvency.
Indeed, the highly-respected German publication Auto Motor und Sport on Thursday repeated rumours of Force India falling so behind in bills to key suppliers – such as one that provides the all-important carbon fibre – that it is the reason for the delayed debut of the VJM08.
But chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer insists the delay is more about the move from the team's own wind tunnel to the state-of-the-art Toyota facility in Cologne.
"We want to see some of the results flowing into the car for the Barcelona test," he said.
Szafnauer added he is "90 per cent" certain Force India's 2015 car will be fully up and running for that second test, beginning on 19 February.
He said sitting out Jerez altogether is "saving us 500,000 pounds. The engine and transmission tests, Mercedes can do for us. So we wouldn't be learning too much," he insisted.
And he hit back at the reports of financial doom for Force India.
"We employ 380 people and they all get their salaries on time," Szafnauer said. "We have just presented new sponsors and if things were really bad we wouldn't have gone to Mexico to introduce the team.
"I can say 'We are still alive'. And everything is going according to plan."
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