Racing Point reveals new title partner and livery
Racing Point announced Sport Pesa as a new title partner during its 2019 Formula 1 car launch as the team enters its first full season under new ownership.
After falling into administration mid-way through the 2018 campaign, Force India was purchased by a Lawrence Stroll-led consortium of investors.
Rebranded as Racing Point – despite suggestions that an alternative name would be adopted for 2019 – the team has now announced Sport Pesa as a new title partner during the launch event for its 2019 car held in Toronto, Canada.
Despite the new title tie-up, BWT remains a key partner of the team and as a result, the car retains the predominantly pink livery design first adopted by Force India in 2017.
Sport Pesa’s influence on the livery can be seen on the engine cover, which is largely blue.
“In year’s past we have had financial pressures,” team principal Otmar Szafnauer said during the event. “Those pressures have been lifted thanks to the consortium as well as our partners – SportPesa, BWT and others.
“So, the financial pressures have been eased, but now we have other pressures. Those pressures are to perform at an even higher level than we have before.
“We’re all working hard to do that. We have performed well with the resources that we have had. The resources over time will now increase and the performance has to be commensurate.
“We’re all focused that our on track performance not just stays where it was, but gets closer to the top three.”
Having been stripped of all points accrued prior to the administration, Force India ended 2018 sixth in the constructors’ championship.
Sergio Perez’s third-place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was the team’s best finish last season. Perez is retained alongside new recruit Lance Stroll to form Racing Point’s 2019 driver line-up.
Stroll joins the team now owned in part by his father after two seasons with Williams.