Vijay Mallya is enduring a troubled run into this weekend’s Japanese grand prix.
International media reports say the Force India chief has temporarily grounded the entire fleet of his Indian airline Kingfisher, with staff revolting after not being paid since April.
Kingfisher confirmed it had locked out staff because some had instigated "unabated incidents of violence, criminal intimidation, assault" against some employees who were still trying to work.
"It’s sad they are putting the blame on employees," Indian airline advisor Harsh Vardhan told Bloomberg, "because nowhere in the world anyone would accept this kind of situation."