While Lawrence Stroll has been splashing his Racing Point consortium's cash around, paying off the 450 creditors and even having a little left over for the former owners, the row over Force India's prize money has raged on.

Effectively, while the FIA and others are happy to see Racing Point Force India receive prize money from the get-go, Haas insists that as a brand new team - which it is - it should have to wait the mandatory two years before it receives the so-called Column 1 payments.

Haas' argument is simple, as a new team it had to wait two years from when it entered F1 in 2016 to earn the Column 1 payments, so why, it argues, shouldn't Racing Point be treated in the same way.

Since Racing Point took to the track in Belgium, FOM has been busy trying to get the teams to agree to the payments - with talk of Chase Carey waving bits of paper under the noses of various team bosses, but no two bits of paper appearing to be the same - and while all are said to have agreed, Haas has stood firm.

Asked if progress has been made, Guenther Steiner told reporters in Japan: "There was progress, but I cannot reveal what that progress was.

"I need to speak to Chase this weekend to see where this one goes," he added. "But I don't know any more."

When asked if there were developments in Russia, the Italian insisted: "No, no. There was some information sent to us."

Steiner has made it clear that for Haas it is a matter of principal, and the American team would not hesitate in blocking Racing Point's request.

"Why wouldn't I?" The other teams, because they are here so long, never went through two years of not getting money, so they never had that experience.

"They don't know how it feels to be left out, nor how you feel if you are left out and if somebody else doing the same gets a new licence, and does not have to go through this pain of missing out on Column 1 for two years."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by FQITW, 04/10/2018 15:20

"@Insane Reindeer

Ta for that, Cheers"

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2. Posted by Mad Matt, 04/10/2018 12:26

"I agree with Reindeer. I can't help but feel Racing Point are trying to use a similar sounding name to try and fool us all into thinking it's the same team but it's not. They just bought the assets of an existing team in order to form a new team. They now have to go through the two years without prize money to show that they're serious and have got a sound financial base.

They would have known that in advance so, unless they are a bit stupid, they will have planned for it. This is just a cheeky "let's try it on" in case the other teams feel like sending them a welcome present. "

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3. Posted by Insane Reindeer, 04/10/2018 10:37

"@Motorsport-fan

I want to be a fly on the wall at that meeting!

Imagine the scene: A room full of all the team principles and representatives of the team owners. In walks someone from Liberty (I am not saying who it would be because even for this scenario I can't imagine who would be insane enough to try this).

Liberty: "OK. We need our newest team to get the price money they will win this year, this year. But. Our fine fellow American friends are insisting that they wait the two years as laid out in the rules."

Haas: "Yes! They wait. Or...."

Liberty: "Indeed! Or. Or, you-all-pay-us-back-all-the-prize-money-your-teams-received-for-those-two-years-and-we-redistribute-it-to-include-Haas!"

<Silence. You could hear a pin drop>

Williams: "Umm, what?"

Liberty: "Yes! It's genius! Just make sure the money is in our bank account my close of business next Tuesday and we will have it all redistributed by the end of the month! Simple!"

<What follows next would be so graphic as to ensure the film version of said events would make Django Unchained look like a quaint old school Disney movie!>

As that would never fly, then it would need Liberty to just pay Haas out of their own pocket. Good luck with getting that to happen.

No. The simplest way to sort this out is for the new team to just play by the same rules as everyone else.

@FQITW

They are a new team because they have a new entry and new association backing said entry. This has been well discussed. Also, the new owners can't claim that this is something aimed at them, the rule was on the books for years before they came along. And, and, if they had actually purchased Force India's original entry then they wouldn't have this problem. But they didn't. Or couldn't. If it is the later then they need to be having a go at the old owners. Not the current teams on the grid. They got themselves into this mess and they have to lump it. Given the other story on here this morning about Force India, the problems they were in and the new owners, my suspicions that they didn't really have a clue what they have got themselves into seem to be confirmed. "

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4. Posted by FQITW, 04/10/2018 9:39

"What I can’t understand is what constitutes a ‘new’ team.

Certainly Haas meet the criteria as they started with an empty base and built everything up (very well) but Force India?

They merely have new investors/owners and barring the fact that they shed Bob Fernley nothing has changed. Same cars, premises, drivers & staff etc.

The question is: Does just a change of owner, particularly one who is saving a team (for which we should be grateful), change the definition of what makes a team new?

The paperwork may make it so but in reality Force India has just been a fortunate recipient of a rescue package.

Steiner seems to be dreaming as he is with their FIA ‘Floor’ appeal.
"

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5. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 04/10/2018 8:09

"Would appear the only solution to this is give Haas there 2 years payment as well."

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Haas maintains stance on Force India prize money

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