Haas protest over Force India rejected by FIA

Stewards ruled that Force India had not broken rules

The argument by Haas F1 Team that Racing Point Force India F1 are not eligible to an entry into the world championship has been rejected by the FIA.

The decision was conveyed late on Saturday through a hearing consisting of top officials from both teams in a teleconference with Pierre Ketterer, FIA Head of Governance, Integrity and Regulatory Affairs and the F1 Stewards. Haas had claimed that Force India — which collapsed in July following the legal and financial difficulties surrounding former co-owners Vijay Mallya and Subrata Roy — was bought by a new owner Lawrence Stroll.

Haas contended that the new team was not a constructor. This meant it was impossible to complete a sale in time for Force India to race at the Belgium Grand Prix following the summer break. So the old team folded up and Stroll bought the assets while the FIA granted them an entry as a new team.