Force India now aiming for 2019 name change

Otmar Szafnauer has confirmed that Force India will keep its name throughout the 2018 season.

Earlier, it was expected the team would drop the word ’India’ from its name, perhaps amid negotiations with a buyer or investor.

Force India then arrived with the same name in Melbourne, amid reports a mid-season name change might still be possible.

But sporting boss Szafnauer said in Melbourne: "As far as I understand, it’s not possible to change the name of the chassis in the middle of the season.

"So we should instead prepare everything correctly by the end of the year, so we don’t run out of time again."

Asked what happened with the plans for a 2018 name change, Szafnauer answered: "We tried to find a suitable name and had discussions with our partners and sponsors.

"After that we applied to the FIA and FOM, but we were told that we did not have time.

"But this is not a problem, as you don’t change the name of the team every day. Now we know that we can do everything after the end of the season," he added.