Team story
Origins
Force India’s rescue in the summer of 2018 brought Lawrence Stroll and his partners to the head of the Silverstone organisation. The ownership transition had an initial phase still called Racing Point Force India; RP19 and RP20, by contrast, identify the Racing Point constructor’s 2019 and 2020 seasons, with Sergio Pérez and Lance Stroll.
The Formula 1 journey
In 2020 the team returned to the leading positions. Stroll took pole in Turkey and a podium at Monza; Pérez won at Sakhir after dropping to the back following contact on the opening lap. Stroll was third in the same race.
Nico Hülkenberg stepped in when Covid-related absences disrupted the regular line-up.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of Racing Point
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · Australian Grand Prix
Lance Stroll · Australian Grand Prix 2019. The recorded position is P9; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This is the first recorded race start, or the first entry if the team never started a race.
Sporting landmark · Sakhir Grand Prix
Sergio Pérez · Sakhir Grand Prix 2020. The recorded position is P1; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This marks the first win or podium where one exists, otherwise the highest recorded placing for this constructor.
Latest recorded appearance · Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Sergio Pérez · Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2020. The recorded outcome is DNF. This is the last race start attributed to this constructor in the archive, not necessarily the end of the organisation behind it.
A distinctive way of racing
The RP20 followed an approach very close to that of the 2019 Mercedes, a sharp change from the previous development direction. The controversy went beyond appearances: the rear brake ducts were judged to be Mercedes designs rather than Racing Point’s. A €400,000 fine and a deduction of fifteen Constructors’ Championship points followed, without a requirement to remove those components.
What remains
From 2021 the same organisation raced as Aston Martin. Racing Point remains the brief phase in which fresh funding changed the technical possibilities of a team that had grown from Jordan to Force India through several owners. Pérez’s victory belongs to that pink banner; it should not be moved into the statistics of earlier identities or those of the subsequent Aston Martin.
