The FIA has deemed Racing Point’s protest against Renault as admissible and has impounded gear from the French team for the next stages of its investigation.
It was revealed post-race in Japan that Racing Point had lodged a protest against Renault concerning “an alleged pre-set lap distance-dependent brake bias adjustment system” on both cars.
Post-race at Suzuka the stewards heard from representatives of both teams and a representative from the FIA’s Technical Department, where it was determined that the protest met the requirements of the FIA’s International Sporting Code.
Renault agreed with the decision of the stewards.
As a result the FIA’s Technical Department has sealed the standard Electronic Control Units and steering wheels from the cars of both Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg “in preparation for conducting a detailed analysis of those pieces.”
A detailed analysis of the hardware, software and data associated with the items will be carried out and, when completed, a written report will be provided to the stewards.
The FIA will consult both Renault and Racing Point if necessary, with the process expected to take until Wednesday, after which the evidence will be handed over to stewards.
After this point a meeting time can be arranged in order for the stewards to assess the claims made in the protest.
Renault issued a statement in response revealing that Racing Point had submitted a 12-page dossier against them and that it "intends to use this recess to prepare an equally detailed case to rigorously defend its position."
