McLaren Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown says “everything else” on Racing Point’s RP20 should be questioned, in the wake of the team’s breach of Sporting Regulations.
Renault protested the brake ducts of Racing Point’s RP20 and on Friday stewards issued their verdict.
Racing Point’s brake ducts are legal, under the Technical Regulations, but a year-on-year change in the classification of brake ducts as Listed, rather than Non-Listed, meant the team was deemed to have flouted the Sporting Regulations.
The team was docked 15 points, issued a fine, and reprimanded, but the verdict clarified that they are permitted to keep the components on the RP20 for the remainder of the season.
Racing Point has repeatedly stressed that it used photographs of Mercedes’ title-winning W10 when designing its RP20 but Brown has disputed this claim.
“My initial reaction is Racing Point has been found guilty,” said Brown.
“I am concerned that they still have what was deemed illegal in Austria on the race car now. I think that is confusing for the fans, how is something that is not legal in Austria still on the car?
“Around this whole copying, obviously they claimed that they had copied the car via photography. It’s clear from reading the document that that is BS.
“And therefore you have to question everything else around that car.
“I think this is potentially the tip of the iceberg, the starting point of what has happened here.
“I don’t think it’s healthy for the sport. The constructor gets a penalty but the drivers don’t. As the teams we all compete with each other, but then the drivers compete with each other and are able to keep their points when driving for the Drivers’ Championship.
“I think it’s thrown up a lot more questions than answers and there is new evidence that we are able to see.
“It is something that we are going to review quickly so that we are able to understand the process and if that’s something we want to potentially participate in.”
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto also expressed unhappiness at the situation.
“We believe it is not possible to copy and simply understand the full concept behind the car,” he said.
“It is something that which again we have said in a letter to the FIA that we really argue the entire concept and entire process, we believe that the regulations are clear enough and we believe there may be a breach of regulation in that process.
“But at the moment we are looking ahead and looking forward and it’s something on which we need to clarify.
“I don’t think that the verdict of today is sufficient because it is only relevant to the brake ducts and not the entire concept, so I think it is only the top of the iceberg but there is much to further discuss.
“But if it has never happened so far in the history of Formula 1 it means somehow it is almost impossible to do it.”
Parties have until 09:30 on Saturday to notify their intention to lodge an appeal against the verdict.
I think an explanation of why the ducts being listed or not listed makes a difference would have been useful here.
Probably would – unlikely tho’ that even the FIA have that knowledge. Need to go back and see which way the wind was blowing at the time…..
The difference is that were they still not listed it wouldn’t matter how Racing Point came to have them, because they were allowed to buy them ready-made from Mercedes anyhow, so if they made their own from a Mercedes pattern they’d be fine. And that is the regulation which Renault believe they have broken. In a TV interview, I think was during the Styrian event, one of Renault’s engineers, who was going to be handing in the protest documents after the race, stated explicitly that they had knowledge of Racing Point having drawings which had come from Mercedes. He wasn’t asked to elaborate on how the drawings passed into Racing Point’s possession.
My opinion is that the FIA should go one way or the other, but go all the way. Either allow teams to buy a complete customer car, which would still permit the current situation where teams just buy an engine and other mechanical bits to go into their own chassis. Or, forbid any sharing whatsoever, so a team would either have to build its own engine or find a manufacturer or engine specialist to build one exclusively for their use. The latter would still let the FIA prescribe use of specific parts which have to be the same on all cars, but nothing could be shared between teams.
I’d prefer customer cars, but a clear decision in one direction is better than a fudge.