Guenther Steiner said that Haas F1 filed an intent to appeal the decision.GETTY IMAGES
Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix stewards dismissed a protest by Haas F1 on Saturday and "recognized Force India as a new constructor whose cars were eligible to compete in the championship," according to Alan Baldwin of REUTERS. Haas had argued that Force India, which went into administration in July and re-emerged under new ownership in August, was "in breach of the rules." The U.S.-based team claimed the cars of Mexican Sergio Pérez and Frenchman Esteban Ocon "should not be allowed to race." A statement from race officials said, "The Stewards decide to dismiss the protests lodged by Haas Formula One Team against car number 11 and car number 31." Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner said of the dispute, "In the end, it's all about money. We don't want more of the money, we just want that it is equal for everybody. We had to do two years (without prize money payments). In our opinion, this is a new team and therefore we asked for this to be clarified" (REUTERS, 11/24).
CHANGE OF PLANS: REUTERS' Stanley Carvalho reported Aston Martin "lost interest" in making an F1 engine after the sport "changed its mind" about new rules from '21, CEO Andy Palmer said on Sunday. The British sportscar manufacturer and title sponsor of Red Bull Racing "had talked this year about the possibility of becoming an engine supplier." F1's post-'20 vision outlined in April "envisaged cheaper and simpler engines to encourage new manufacturers into the sport," with Porsche and Aston Martin attending some meetings. Palmer said, "When it looked like the rules were going to change, we did take a look at whether we should do our own engine for F1. But then (commercial rights holder) Liberty (Media) essentially changed their mind and continued with the current engine, so we canceled those plans" (REUTERS, 11/25).
