Racing Point Force India Allowed to Keep Prize Money

In a moment of relief for the rescued Force India team, they will not lose its share of Formula 1’s prize money. This came on the back of a unanimous agreement between rival F1 teams.

The team was rescued from administration after the Hungarian Grand Prix. However, they had to be granted a new entry by the FIA to continue competing in the championship. Unfortunately, they would have to forfeit its right to the ‘column one’ prize money it had earned. This prize money is usually shared equally between all 10 teams.

The good news is, all nine teams agreed to allow the new team to inherit its predecessor’s share of ‘Column 1’ earnings. This is in addition to the ‘Column 2’ revenues it qualifies for via points earned from the balance of the season after the Belgian Grand Prix.

However, the teams insisted that Racing Point Force India could not retain their predecessor’s points. So, from Belgium onwards, the former Force India team has therefore been excluded from the points. In the meantime, the new entity starts on a clean slate for this weekend.

However, there were concerns that they could become a Mercedes ‘B-team’. This led its rivals to insist that the team retain ‘Force India’ within its name. They believe that Mercedes does not wish to be too closely associated with a brand. Especially one that has been tainted by the actions of its former owners.

The drivers, Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez have been retained and will be eager to get points up on the board. How far will the Racing Point Force India team progress up the order after starting from scratch, only time will tell.

In the meantime, all we can do is sit back, relax and enjoy the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend.