German police visited the Force India team in the Nurburgring paddock on Saturday.
Bild am Sonntag and Express newspapers report that the visit was not connected to the criminal assault charges laid against the team’s German driver Adrian Sutil by Renault co-owner Eric Lux.
Rather, a German supplier is pressing the Vijay Mallya-led team for an unpaid EUR 50,000 bill.
"After a brief interrogation, the officers left the paddock," said Bild.
Express cited team manager Otmar Szafnauer as reporting that the debt dates back to the pre-Force India days, when the Silverstone based team was known as Jordan, Midland or Spyker.
Another piece of intrigue on Saturday was Sebastien Buemi’s exclusion from the qualifying results when his Toro Rosso was found running illegal fuel.
However, the Red Bull junior team had not cheated. Rather, a chemical inside a new fuel system installed in his STR6 on Friday contaminated the car’s fuel.
Swiss Buemi must now start the race from the back. "What can I do if there is something wrong with the fuel?" he is quoted as frustratingly telling Blick newspaper.
Meanwhile, Renault F1 PR representative Andy Stobart was struck by a car whilst cycling in Germany prior to this weekend’s Nurburgring race.
Now walking wounded in the paddock, he is sporting cuts to his eyebrow, chin, cheeks and torso after being knocked unconscious and hospitalised.