Force India: Haas 'may be confused' over F1 payments deal
Force India team principal Otmar Szafnauer has suggested Haas boss Gunther Steiner may be "confused" in their dispute over the resurrected team receiving historic Formula 1 prize money payments


Szafnauer, who was installed as team principal after Lawrence Stroll's consortium took control of the outfit, reckons the argument could hinge on the definition of what constitutes a "going concern".
Under the Concorde Agreement, teams that are insolvent lose their right to keep their payments unless all other teams agree.
Administration is technically a form of insolvency, and after July's Hungarian Grand Prix all nine rival teams agreed Force India could keep those payments if it emerged from administration with new owners.
But the planned share sale subsequently became an asset sale, and the renamed Racing Point Force India is now owned by a new company, and was accepted by the FIA as a new entry.
It's that change of circumstances that has led Haas to refuse to agree to continued payments, on the basis that Force India is now a new team and Haas itself had to go through a two-year process before it could finally earn full "Column 1" prize money this season.
Haas team principal Steiner is adamant his team only agreed Force India could keep the money if it emerged intact from administration as the same company and thus with the same entry.
But Szafnauer insists the new team meets the definition of a going concern, and that Haas thus agreed to the payments when it signed the original document.

"As far as I know it I think everyone has agreed to allow the prize money that was earned by the old Force India to continue to be paid to the new Force India," said Szafnauer.
"If you look at the definition of a going concern, I think we're a going concern. In the piece of paper that he [Steiner] signed, if I remember right, it says going concern.
"He may be confused, I don't know, thinking that we're not a going concern. But we are.
"I think the argument is one of detail. Is it an asset sale or is it a share sale? It's just semantics. Are we not the same team? This is like deja vu all over again."
One of the conditions the FIA laid down for supporting the new entry was that the team had to submit a business plan that took into account the possibility it didn't receive full prize money, but Szafnauer played that aspect down.
"The nice thing with a business plan is it's three pieces of paper with fictitious numbers - you're trying to guess the future!
"You can write whatever you want on a business plan, including things like 'my sponsorship is going to treble next year.'"

Sauber breaks curfew to fix Marcus Ericsson's car after huge crash
First impressions of Ferrari's new man at the helm in Formula 1

Latest news
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow
Connecting two of Ferrari's favourite F1 sons
Gilles Villeneuve's exploits behind the wheel of a Ferrari made him a legend to the tifosi, even 40 years after his death. The team's current Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc enjoys a similar status, and recently got behind the wheel of a very special car from the French-Canadian’s career
How a 30cm metal wire triggered open warfare in the F1 paddock
Porpoising has become the key talking point during the 2022 Formula 1 season, as teams battle to come to terms with it. An FIA technical directive ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix and a second stay appearing on the Mercedes cars only served to create a bigger debate and raise tensions further
Does Verstappen have any weaknesses left?
Having extended his Formula 1 points lead with victory in Canada, Max Verstappen has raised his game further following his 2021 title triumph. Even on the days where Red Bull appears to be second best to Ferrari, Verstappen is getting the most out of the car in each race. So, does he have any weaknesses that his title rivals can exploit?
How F1's future fuels can shape the automotive sector
In 2026, Formula 1 plans to make the switch to a fully sustainable fuel, as the greater automotive world considers its own alternative propulsion methods. Biogasoline and e-fuels both have merit as 'drop-in' fuels but, equally, both have their shortcomings...
The breakthrough behind Sainz’s best weekend of F1 2022 so far
OPINION: Carlos Sainz came close to winning in Monaco but needed that race’s specific circumstances for his shot at a maiden Formula 1 victory to appear. Last weekend in Canada, he led the line for Ferrari in Charles Leclerc’s absence from the front. And there’s a key reason why Sainz has turned his 2022 form around
Canadian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Plenty of high scores but just a single perfect 10 from the first Montreal race in three years, as Max Verstappen fended off late pressure from Carlos Sainz. Here’s Autosport’s assessment on the Formula 1 drivers from the Canadian Grand Prix