Another Billionaire Linking Up With QPR?

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Daily Mail/Charles Sale - Indian Formula One high roller joins Ecclestone and Briatore's party at Queens Park Rangers

26th May 2008

The Formula One consortium who own Queens Park Rangers are understood to have the most free-spending billionaire in the F1 Monaco paddock as one of their members, confirming the Championship club's status as the richest in the country.

High roller: Vijay Mallya (right) and his partner entertain actress Kate Hudson (second left) and former cyclist Lance Armstrong at the Kingfisher boat party before the Monaco Grand Prix

Vijay Mallya, the Indian Kingfisher lager and airline mogul, paid into the QPR pot, according to insiders in his Force India F1 team, as part of the wheeler-dealing that guaranteed him permission to change his GP outfit's name for the fourth time in four years, when regulations allow one alteration in five.

Force India were previously known as Jordan, Midland, and Spyker before Mallya paid £44million for ownership. Certainly the Indian tycoon has his boat moored in the plushest part of the Monaco harbour, in the Loftus Road enclave together with fellow QPR stakeholders Flavio Briatore and Lakshmi Mittal, and Bernie Ecclestone stayed on Briatore's boat.

Mallya has more football experience than his F1 colleagues, owning two Indian teams as well as his GP interest and the £50m Bangalore cricket franchise. In Monaco, he hosted two massive parties on his boat and also splashed out £80,000 on a Chopard watch and £175,000 on a piano owned by Elton John at a charity auction. Mail