Force India confirms plan to change team name for 2018

Force India is to go ahead with a change of the team's name before the 2018 Formula 1 world championship.

"We have always said that we will change our team name," the team's chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer told Auto Motor und Sport.

"The name will change. The plan is to announce it at the presentation of the new car. But first we have to get that approved by the Formula 1 Commision."

The newspaper had reported that the launch of the VJM11 will take place on February 25 in Barcelona. That's the same date and place that Toro Rosso are planning to unveil their new car. It is the day before pre-season testing starts at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona.

However, a team spokesperson told the newspaper "We have no set date for a rename or car launch just yet."

The Force India team was originally formed in October 2007 after a consortium led by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya bought up the assets of the failed Spyker F1 team.

Szafnauer had previously said that the inclusion of 'India' in the name was hampering efforts to pick up global sponsors.

"A couple of potential sponsors said that if we don't change, then we don't come on board," he said earlier this month. "If they are going to sponsor a team, they will sponsor a team which is not really tied to one country."

• Pressure mounts on Force India to change name

A name change for the Silverstone-based squad was first mooted almost a year ago. Last May, the team registered 'Force One' with the UK's Companies House.

However that option soon ran into difficulties, not least because of its similarity with the 'Formula 1' trademark. In addition, 'cybersquatters' scrambled to pick up website names featuring variations of the Force One name.

"The problem we have is that when it gets out in the media every man and his dog goes and registers domain names," deputy team principal Bob Fernley said last year.

"Anything to do with Force is probably, for the time being, on the back burner," he admitted at the time. "I think that we may have to go something completely different, if we're going to go at all."

A more recent filing at Companies House made in November suggests the new name will be 'Force Formula One Team Limited'.

But understandably, this time everyone is staying very tight-lipped about the new name until the official announcement.

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