Sahara Force India could also have missed Austin
While Caterham and Marussia were forced not to race in Austin due to their administration, Sahara Force India might also have missed Texas because of their engine bill with Mercedes.
The change in technical regulations has led to a significant increase in costs for customer teams of engine manufacturers. It now reaches between 15 and 20 million euros, depending on the engine manufacturer.
According to Auto Moto und Sport, Sahara Force India is no exception and is struggling to meet its obligations towards Mercedes. It only had until yesterday to settle its bill and waited until the last moment to do so. If it hadn’t, it could have been forced to stay at home since its already delivered engines are reaching the end of their lifespan. Thus, it is the only team on the grid to have used all six elements of its four engines.
With the settlement of its debts, the Silverstone team will be able to benefit from a fifth power unit for the last three races of the season, from Austin to Abu Dhabi.
These three races carry significant sporting and financial stakes for the team since Sahara Force India is currently in a fierce battle with McLaren for the fifth place in the constructors’ championship. In the F1 profit distribution, the difference amounts to three million euros, with the 5th place earning 62 million euros.
To put this amount into perspective for a team like Sahara Force India, three million euros represent two developments during the season while Vijay Mallya’s team will pay Toyota four million euros in 2015 to use their wind tunnel for the entire season.
With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr
