Brawn: Force India survival 'significant' for F1

Formula 1 managing director Ross Brawn says the survival of Force India is “significant for the good of the sport” after key stakeholders struck a deal to ensure the team remained on the grid last week.

Force India entered administration ahead of the summer break following mounting financial difficulties, only to be rescued after its assets were bought by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll, the father of Williams driver Lance Stroll.

Having arrived at the track unsure if it would race or not, Force India was required to re-enter the F1 championship as a new entry at the Belgian Grand Prix, with permission being granted by the FIA and the other nine teams on the grid.

After losing all points scored so far this season and being rebranded as ‘Racing Point Force India’, the team stunned the paddock by locking out the second row of the grid in qualifying before drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon finished fifth and sixth respectively in the race.

Writing in his post-race media pass debrief, Brawn stressed the importance of Force India’s survival not just for the team itself, but also for the perception of F1 by the outside world.

“It was very important that this story had a positive outcome, thanks to the efforts of all those involved, including the FIA and the other nine teams entered in the championship,” Brawn said.

“It was significant for the good of the sport, for its credibility inwardly and in the eyes of the outside world, and above all for the hundreds of the team’s employees and their families who were worried about job security.

“Today, the team is solid, in the hands of a group of investors who believe in the sport’s long term potential, and who are really enthusiastic about motor racing. I know a great many of the people who work for the Silverstone-based team and I know how much effort they have expended during the past difficult months.

“They are real racers, with a deep passion for racing, and I am particularly happy that this new chapter has begun so positively.

What happened to them over the weekend is a remarkable story, the sort that seems to have been written by an invisible hand.

“I’m sure they will now be able to truly enjoy this moment, safe in the knowledge their future is no longer hanging by a thread.”