Force India COO Otmar Szafnauer has criticised Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA after the team was given a suspended fine for falling foul of new car identification rules.
In Spain, all teams were required to incorporate clearer numbers and/ or the three-letter abbreviation of the driver inside on the engine cover to help spectators pick out each car.
Though Force India did add the requisite numbers of 11 for Sergio Perez and 31 for Esteban Ocon, the positioning of those numbers was deemed not in line with the requirements.
“According to the sporting regulations we comply,” Szafnauer said when commenting on the situation.
“We went through scrutineering, so they should have pointed it out on Thursday if they wanted something different. Not after the race.
“If we are asked to do something different and it is a ‘please can you?’, some people can, some people can’t.
“If it is a regulation, we will comply with it, and we have complied with the regulations.”
The problem facing Force India is finding a solution that both satisfies the FIA and their main sponsor BWT, who’s partnership with the Silverstone team both provides a much-needed financial boost and the pink livery with subsequent advertising.
“As you know, Force India does well on the track but is not as strong in the commercial area, which is related to the way revenues are distributed in F1,” Szafnauer explained.
“But the approach of the commercial rights holders is what it is, so we have to maximise the way we work with sponsors. To do this, we need to make optimal use of the space on the car.
“Personally, I think we could come up with a better way to distinguish the cars on the track,” he concluded.
The $25,000 fine issued to Force India has been suspended upon a resolution being found for the Monaco Grand Prix.
