How Force India was reborn
The ‘debut’ of the Racing Point Force India team in Belgium last weekend did not spell the end of a saga that continues to rumble in and out of the Formula 1 paddock.
In the days leading up to the grand prix, a new entry was approved following intense scrutiny of the legal situation surrounding the takeover of Force India by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll.
The former Force India entry has been officially annulled and excluded from the world championship with immediate effect. This forfeited its constructors’ championship points, but rival teams agreed to let the new entry take the Column 2 prize money that would have been due to Force India for its previous results.
It will lose its place on the Strategy
Group as part of the deal that saved its future, though. The Strategy Group consists of representatives from the
FIA and FOM, plus the Ferrari, Red Bull, Mclaren, Mercedes and Williams teams
– as well as the next highest-finishing team in the previous year’s constructors’ championship. That has been Force
India since 2015.
It is unclear yet whether or not it will be replaced for the rest of 2018. Renault was the next best team after Force India last year, but it is understood that no decision has been taken yet on whether the French manufacturer will be granted a slot for the rest of this year, or if a sixth team will only be added in 2019.
New Racing Point Force India team principal Otmar Szafnauer suggested he was unhappy despite the compromises reached: “We still have to use the engine allocation that we got at the beginning of the year. We still have the same gearbox allocation that we started at the beginning of the year. So how can you say we are a true new entrant? We are not.”
However, the Haas team believes its rival has received unprecedented treatment from the powers-that-be. Haas boss Gunther Steiner and his team’s owner Gene Haas are seeking a better understanding of why the new Force India outfit has been allowed to earn Column 1 prize money itself immediately, while Haas had to wait two years before it could qualify.
F1’s commercial rights deals normally require new outfits to finish in the top 10 of the constructors’ championship for two seasons before they can qualify for such income, but sources indicate that Force
India has agreed a deal with F1 chiefs that will allow it to earn payments straight away. This still requires approval from all of Force India’s rivals, which had not happened by the end of the Belgian GP weekend.
Despite talks at Spa with F1 chairman Chase Carey and managing director Ross Brawn, plus a follow-up meeting with
Stroll, Steiner said he still had some unease about the situation.
The fluctuating Force India situation has also extended to its drivers. Stroll’s investment means his son Lance will move across from Williams at the earliest opportunity, which could be this year.
Stroll would likely replace Esteban Ocon, with Sergio Perez expected to re-sign for the team next year, but it is unclear where Ocon could be moved to.
He has been linked to Mclaren and had a seat fitting with the team earlier this year, however Mclaren has indicated Stoffel Vandoorne will complete the season. A straight swap is not immediately possible at Williams, because reserve driver Robert Kubica is understood to have a guarantee to drive if a regular driver is not available.
Off-track, a losing bidder to buy Force India has threatened legal action over a separate issue. Chemical company Uralkali, which is closely associated with Dmitry Mazepin, father of GP3 series race winner Nikita, says it made a viable bid to bring the team out of administration and questioned the way Stroll’s consortium was able to buy the assets.
Last week, Uralkali wrote to the administrator, FRP Advisory, asking for answers, and says that, if it does not get them by September 10, it will take court action over its “serious concerns”.