Force India will not give up in its bid to try and increase the damages it was awarded from Aerolab in its recent copyright case, even if a judge rejects an appeal when he decides in the next few weeks.
The team was awarded $34,000 recently after a court ruled that Aerolab had used some of Force Indias parts in the design process for a car it helped prepare for Lotus Racing – now Caterham – in 2010. Force India believes that the level of damages that was awarded was not high enough, which is why it has asked the judge to reconsider.
A hearing last week, where Force India was ordered to pay costs to Caterham technical chief Mike Gascoyne and his team, ran out of time to discuss the damages issue, which is why another hearing will take place soon. When asked whether Force India would pursue the matter further through legal channels if more damages were not awarded, Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley said: "Yes, we will then take it onward."
Fernley also said that the $1 million in court costs awarded against it was no surprise, as the money for that had already been lodged.
"The Lotus and Mike Gascoyne costs are the ones we already knew about from the hearing so that is accepted and done," he explained. "The appeal [decision] could be not heard, as there was not enough time in court. But that will go ahead in the next few weeks."