Sahara Force India to get 50 million boost for the next season

Force India will have a 50 million pound ($79.67 million) boost to help them move up the Formula One grid after a strong performance this year.

"We had a board meeting in India after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the board has approved a 50 million pound capital investment programme for the team," The Times of India quoted Sahara Force team principal Vijay Mallya as saying.

"We are going to invest heavily in new technology and give more tools to our design team to try and move further up the grid."

Indian Liquor and aviation tycoon Mallya is principal of the British-based team that he co-owns with the Sahara Group, who have a 42.5 percent stake.

Force India are seventh overall on 99 points, 25 behind sixth-placed Sauber and 23 ahead of Williams in eighth, and are almost certain to stay in that position now unless they or Williams have an astonishing result on Sunday.

"We have shown that every year we get better, so we expect nothing less next season. But it is also time for us to look at capital investment (the board has recently approved a £50 million capital investment programme for the team). In order to go up the ladder even further we need to have the tools and the facilities, so we are looking at some investments which will start paying out rich dividends in the future," Mallya was quoted by the DNA.

Mallya also conceded that they were finding it tough to find a suitable replacement for outgoing driver Nico Hulkenberg, who will be with Sauber in 2013. The other Force India driver Paul di Resta is likely to stay with the team.

"There does not seem to be the kind of quality we need to replace Nico available, either in the current grid or in GP2. We have to think a little bit beyond that, which we are doing now," DNA further quote the liquor baron.