F1 2020: Racing Point fined, lose points after Renault protest upheld
Tensions have reached boiling point and an ugly war between rivals is on the brink of erupting after protest threats and cheating allegations.
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Ferrari and McLaren confirmed they plan to appeal against the FIA’s stewards ruling on Renault’s protest against the validity of Racing Point’s 2020 cars.
They are expected to be joined by other teams unhappy at the outcome that saw Racing Point docked 15 points and fined $AUD660,000 after upholding Renault’s complaint that the Silverstone-based F1 team was using illegal parts.
Renault had protested against Racing Point several times this season and the two teams have traded barbs over the conflict — but Daniel Ricciardo’s team had the last laugh.
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However, many teams said they feel the verdict announced ahead of opening practice at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix in the UK was too lenient.
“We can confirm that we have just stated our intention to appeal against this morning’s FIA Stewards decision, regarding Racing Point,” said a Ferrari spokesperson.
Racing Point were found to be using illegal brake ducts on their so-called “pink Mercedes”, dubbed with that moniker because it was regarded as a copy of the 2019 title-winning Mercedes car.
The verdict from the stewards allowed Racing Point to continue racing with their 2020 car — an issue that has infuriated some members of other teams.
Racing Point, however, believe that they did nothing wrong and are considering an appeal against the decision to punish them. No penalties were imposed on the team’s regular drivers, Mexican Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll, the son of the team’s owner, Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll.
McLaren sources made clear on Friday that they also intend to appeal, along with Ferrari and Renault, against the leniency of the sanctions.
“They claimed they had copied the car from photography, it’s clear from reading the document that that’s BS,” McLaren boss Zak Brown said.
Meanwhile, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hit out at rival teams for ganging up in a “little revolution” against Racing Point.
“We were surprised in a way (at the punishment) because there is a strong belief from everybody who is involved, all the lawyers that were part of this, that everything was perfectly within the regulations,” Wolff said.
“The tricky bit is that in 2019 those parts were non-listed parts and they became listed parts. The non-listed parts were supplied in 2019. Full stop, that is what the regulation says.
“I think the FIA wanted to come up with a solution that kind of lets everybody live. Now Racing Point is pretty upset, they believe they have a strong case and they have lawyers ready to go and appeal.
“And, on the other side, I see there is a group forming, a little revolution in every sense, and they are trying to go after Racing Point because I guess they are upset they haven’t got the performance of Racing Point.”
Red Bull chief Christian Horner called for more clarity when it comes to copying rivals’ cars.
“We need to analyse the implications because it’s a much bigger picture than just a brake duct,” he told Sky Sports F1. “It’s about can you copy and recreate a car? And of course, if you can, then that opens up the path. Why wouldn’t we do that with AlphaTauri going into next year?
“So it’s a much bigger question and we need to understand very clearly whether it’s allowed or not allowed.
“We have got the ruling now, it needs several lawyers to understand it, and I’ll get that summary. We are obviously following it with a lot of interest. It’s a fundamental question for Formula 1 — which way do we want to go?”
Racing Point team boss Otmar Szafnauer told Skysports.com: “The good news from the judgment is that the car is completely legal from a technical perspective so we can continue to run the brake ducts, it’s just a matter of process in the sporting regulations.
“Other teams have done exactly the same, probably even more than what we did, so it’s a bit bewildering. However, we now have to decide if our punishment is one that we should appeal.”
AFP and staff writers
Originally published as F1 2020: Racing Point fined, lose points after Renault protest upheld