The Racing Point name is not a permanent new title for the former Force India F1 team and will change before the start of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
The provisional entry list for the 2019 F1 World Championship lists the team and chassis name as Racing Point, but that is just a temporary measure as the Silverstone outfit makes the transition from its former identity as Force India.
The team officially became Racing Point Force India at the Belgian Grand Prix when it was accepted as a new entry.
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The FIA was keen for the team to use the company name created for the acquisition process by new owner Lawrence Stroll in order to distinguish the new organisation from its previous incarnation as Sahara Force India.
But Stroll does not have any particular affinity to the Racing Point name, and a new one is currently under discussion.
Team principal Otmar Szafnauer confirmed that his squad will not be known as Racing Point next year.
“It is just a place holder to indicate future change which will take place and be announced before the 2019 season,” Szafnauer told Autosport.
Changing a team and chassis name is less complicated than it used to be, and teams no longer have to get the permission of the F1 Commission – and hence the support of rivals.
Instead they just have to apply to the FIA and follow the correct administrative procedure. Later, the team announced that they were in the process of deciding a name on Twitter. But then, because this is the Internet, they got brutally trolled by the fans. These same fans also got ridiculously creative while giving suggestions and that made it all the more fun.
Here is how Twitter reacted to the decision.
Rule Number 1: NEVER ENTICE MURPHY’S LAW
Racing Point @ForceIndiaF1 should decide their new name in an open internet poll. I mean – what could possibly go wrong?
— John Beak (@JohnBeakVGC) December 4, 2018
So it begins
For the last time, we’re NOT going for Teamy McTeamyFace. https://t.co/CLXRHoIAJo
— SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team (@RacingPointF1) December 4, 2018
How about Pinkie Winkies?
— Dhruv George (@JibberJabberDG) December 4, 2018
https://twitter.com/WilliamOlive2_/status/1069886502396551168
https://twitter.com/ApexPhotograph2/status/1069886504208658432
Max Power Racing!! pic.twitter.com/wwkbSNkuFm
— ShelbyGT (@palmtreeshhhh) December 4, 2018
why not back to Jordan name? hope Eddie would agree
— tiberiu pal (@phradamon) December 4, 2018
I vote for PInk Panther Racing …. pic.twitter.com/ncn2XZDtJI
— Girl in the Pitlane (@pitlane_girl) December 4, 2018
Team Neeewwwwnnnn.
— Ben Ward (@Wardy1706) December 4, 2018
BWT Force India F1.
Got to be this😐— Chintan Amin (@_imchint) December 4, 2018
LASTNAME Racing is the way to go
— Siddharth (@sidster_95) December 4, 2018
@MBrundleF1 @SkySportsF1 can you please refer to @ForceIndiaF1 as teamy mcteamyface in Australia 2019. It will make my weekend
— Alex Marconi (@Alex_Coni_) December 4, 2018
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Facey McFaceyFace?
— M Hilmy Fauzi (@MHilmyFauzi666) December 4, 2018
https://twitter.com/johnmpsherwin/status/1069889624414265344
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Yep, if they could sign Lando Norris and Charles “Chuck” LeClerc it could then be Chuck Norris Delta Force Racing.
— Warren M (@WarrenM91144451) December 4, 2018