The three rebellious outfits – Force India, Sauber and Lotus – insisted for much of the day that a protest against the demise of the sport’s two smallest teams was still on the table, although publicly they themselves continued to contradict one another. Gerard Lopez, the Lotus owner, said there was no doubt about their position on the grid, while Vijay Mallya’s Force India was leaning much closer to a spectacular walkout. The three teams were still mulling over their decision on Saturday evening, keeping the tension going for another night.