Lance Stroll, Force India, Yas Marina

Szafnauer hopes team doesn’t use Racing Point name in 2019

2019 F1 season

Posted on

| Written by

Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer says he hopes the team is able to change names again for the 2019 F1 season following its rebranding from Force India.

The team changed owners at mid-season after going into administration. It appeared under the name Racing Point on the entry list for the 2019 F1 season, with all references to Force India removed.

Szafnauer told the official F1 website the old name will definitely not be retained. “Force India, for obvious reasons, won’t be referenced any more,” he said. “It was the old entity and it had a strong link to the old ownership as well.

“I think it’s a natural change. Even the previous shareholders who were both Indian wanted to change the name from Force India. I think there’s a logical reason to do that, we just have to, from now until mid-January, pinpoint exactly what the name’s going to be.”

The Racing Point name could serve as a placeholder, Szafnauer indicated, until the team decides on an alternative.

Lawrence Stroll, Otmar Szafnauer, Force India, 2018
Analysis: Why Force India’s name change is not so simple
“Racing Point was a off-the-shelf company that was used to buy the assets of Force India. So it could very well be that we change again.

“We’ll only change again if we find a better name to change to. So it could very well be that we stay as Racing Point. That still needs Formula 1 Commission approval which should happen in mid-January.

“There’s still an opportunity to go to the Formula 1 Commission with a different name. Unless there’s something better then it could very well be Racing Point. I hope we do find something better.”

The question of what name the team runs under in 2019 is also bound up in the ongoing dispute over its claim to a share of F1’s prize money.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

2018 F1 season

Browse all 2018 F1 season articles

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

42 comments on “Szafnauer hopes team doesn’t use Racing Point name in 2019”

  1. Here’s a suggestion: Force Canada.

    1. What about ‘Ernie Els”? Just see if you can just steal his name, whether he’d sue or feel complimented. Or just ‘Margaret – Team’? It’s just a name, eventually whatever they choose will become the name of the thing, ‘Oasis’ is probably a terrible band name, but nobody thinks of a pond, with a tree and some sand.

      Are Haiku’s banned in team names?

      “The Dalai Lama, wore Bob Marley’s Pyjama’s, Buffalo Lama! – Team”

      They could sell those Rastafarian hats as merch, BWT could wear robes and explain Water Technology.

      The livery would never looks as good as the Martini one though, it’d be too ‘busy’ I imagine.

  2. The let me repeat my proposal as well: Jordan GP

    1. Allow me to be a bit creative instead:
      – Sara, 4th in the air
      – Shine (reply if you uncover the link)
      – North of Indiana
      – the team formally known as Force India

      1. Rich Kid Racing

    2. Lawrence, this.

      (I know you read RaceFans comments)

  3. I don’t have a huge issue with the name Racing Point… is it really that bad!? Don’t get me wrong, it’s far from the best thing I’ve ever heard, but as a place holder they could have done worse.

    I just hope it isn’t something like “Stroll GP” or anything sponsor related. It’d be good to have a really great new name in the vein of Shadow or Arrows… but I can’t see it happening.

    1. Agreed, Racing Point sounds just so……..GP2 (Sorry F2).

    2. Arrows is no better than Racing Point. Pull your head out of the past.

      1. “Pull your head out of the past.”
        Intelligent contribution to communication – not…!

    3. Great White North Racing

  4. Stroll Force One, Force Lightning, Stroll’s Racing Point, Daddy-Oh Hep Cats Racing Squad, Team Awesome, Silver Stone Racing? Or just name it after a bunch of sponsors and car parts.

  5. Part of the reason I don’t like the name ‘Racing Point’ is that it doesn’t seem to mean anything. I think of the word ‘racing’ to be redundant as part of a motorsport team name (they’re all racing), so the only distinctive part of the name is ‘Point’. And that’s just a… pointless word that might as well have been randomly picked from a dictionary. It doesn’t come across as a brand name, or a product, or a team – it’s just ‘point’.

    Or perhaps I’m just a snob.

    1. What’s your view on Racing Lines for a weekly blog/article on racing related issues? @neilosjames
      – All journalists write ‘lines’; seems redundant.
      – and as it’s on a F1 racing site, the word ‘racing’ is not distinctive either.

      We just ruined the name of @dieterrencken‘s weekly article/blog ;)

      1. Actually, it’s RacingLines…so you haven’t spoilt anything :)

      2. On the other hand, Dieter’s column is also a ambiguity, because racing drivers (about which he sometimes writes) find Racing Lines indispensable…

        On the third hand (bear with me), Racing Point references the Stroll connection without being too in-yer-face about it. It’s blunt, but not that sort of blunt.

    2. @neilosjames
      If you’re a snob, then so am I.
      I, for one, already disliked the ‘Force India’ name. What’s wrong with names that consist of a single word, or, if you insist on cramming more information into your team’s name, using an acronym? You can use as many pre- and suffixes as you like, call it a ‘Scuderia’, a ‘Team’, ‘GP’, ‘Racing’, “Mission Winsoonish’, no one uses them in their everyday speech anyway. But when you’re making people use more than one word to refer to your team, even colloquially, you’re being obnoxious.

      1. The ‘India’ is obvious, but Mallya added ‘Force’ to the team name as he planned a FI team logo similar to the F1 logo, but Bernie blocked that one fast…

    3. “Point” has many meanings, such as a point scored, a point made, a point reached, or a characteristic or purpose of something i.e. this team is characterised by racing. The latter meaning is what most interpret the name to mean of course.

      What is interesting is the correlation with Lance’s name. A “point” being a sharp end of something, and Lance being a sharp pointed weapon. So its possible they named the team after the person it is going to centre on, as well as their intention to be at the sharp end of F1.5. Its almost like veiled belligerence in the face of the scorning F1 fan base and maybe paddock.

      Personally I think its quite clever and layered, as good business names should be. That said, I agree with Omar.

  6. I hope they will change it. Racing Point sounds like a warehouse where you go to change tires and fix exhaust.

    I agree with @ben-n, a name like Arrows would be cool.

    1. How about “Fourth India”. :)

  7. Racing Dirty (They see me strollin’, they hatin’)

    1. If Haas hasn’t suggested that one to the team yet, it probably should. (Won’t happen, though – I doubt it would meet Otmar’s definition of “a better name”. Even “Chamillionaire” has a better chance of being the team’s new name).

  8. Munsters Racing

    Wouldn’t take much makeup to get Sergio looking like Eddie and Lance looking like Herman Munster!

  9. Phone up David Brabham and see if he’ll let you use the Brabham name Otmar…

    1. Oh no…! Not this…!!! ;-)

  10. Phoenix……rising from the ashes of Force India

  11. I think Szafnauer are shouting to the world “Hey for a few millions of bucks we have a opportunity for you, put the name of your company / brand in F1!”. If this is not the case, I don’t understand so many doubts with the name.

  12. “Lead Boot Lance F1” sponsored by Nike who can produce a special range of brightly coloured sports boots that fall apart under pressure?
    (I don’t think that count’s me out of the “Give Lance a chance” challenge does it? – it is Nike I am having a go at …. :( )

    1. @nullapax

      the “Give Lance a chance” challenge

      First the tidepod challenge, now this. What’s next? The ‘Don’t dump on Trump’ challenge? ‘Don’t criticize Mao just nao’? ‘Stalin wasn’t that appalin’?

  13. Interesting fact – Lawrence Stroll owns the Mont Tremblant circuit, so he could relate it to the new team name.

    Some ideas…
    Namerow Racing
    Gluch Racing
    Jovite Racing
    Tremblant with fear over how much my son will be destroyed by his obviously better teammate.

  14. I liked the interview.

    When he was asked about best / fastest drivers he worked with, I was almost antecipating him mentioning Adrian Sutil, which he did. Sutil was really a pretty fast and sometimes spectacular driver…

  15. If we’re all suggesting fantasy names: Wolf Racing II

    All they need to do is go out and win their “first” race.

  16. -point2point f1
    -StrollGP
    -Rich Energy Racing Point F1
    -Rich Energy Stroll GP

  17. Lance Point Racing

    Force Nepotism F1

    DBR F1 (Daddy’s Boy Racing)

  18. Tommy Stroll F1

  19. Racy McRaceface!

  20. Well, since pot is legal in Canada now…. Blunt Force?

Comments are closed.