Force India boss insists on "long-term benefit" from any partnership

Last year, the Silverstone-based team were in advanced talks with Renault as well as Aston Martin, but both partnerships failed to materialise.

While the French car giant returned to the Formula 1 fold by buying out the Lotus F1 team, Aston Martin chose to postpone its F1 plans.

“I think our results over the last few years have demonstrated that we are a credible F1 team capable of challenging the biggest names in the sport," said Mallya in a Q&A published on the team's site.

"We have all the ingredients in place to keep improving and that makes us an attractive commercial proposition for brands looking to get involved in the sport."

"We already have a strong portfolio of blue chip brands supporting us and it’s no secret that both Renault and Aston Martin showed interest in the team last year.

"However, I’ve always stressed that any partnership needs to be for the long-term benefit of the team, the shareholders and our supporters."

Top four the aim

Coming off his team's best finish in F1, Mallya has targeted an even better result of fourth place in 2016 but adds he is aware of the challenge from the other midfield teams.

“I’m always wary of making bold predictions so early in the season, but I’m optimistic we can stay at the front of the midfield battle," Mallya said.

"If you look at the second half of last year, after the summer break, we outscored Red Bull Racing by six points and were only nine points behind Williams - so we’ve got to begin the new season with those teams firmly in our sights."

"We are conscious of the threat from McLaren, Toro Rosso and Renault," he added.

"All those teams have the potential to make big steps over the winter and will be scoring points.

"I think it’s fair to say the midfield has never been more competitive and we need to work hard to stay at the front of that fight."