This cleared the team of any breach of the rules at the front of the car. Renault protested the brake ducts at the second round of the season in Austria, and the protest continued to be lodged in Hungary and last weekend at Silverstone until there was a final hearing last week. Racing Point used the designs as the basis of its own front brake ducts for that year. The ruling against the Mexican driver’s Racing Point team boils down to a similar issue. Only minor modifications were needed at the front — the FIA found that there were “no material changes” to the ducts created from Mercedes’ CAD drawings. This is acceptable, it said in its published submission: “If the FIA had been asked if the change in [listed parts] status meant that Racing Point had to rip out their 2019 front brake ducts and start again, because they had based them on CAD models obtained from other teams, the FIA would have said no they did not, because (a) the front brake ducts had been incorporated into the DNA of the RP19 and (b) to the extent they had been obtained from competitors, that copying had been legitimate when it was done.”. There’s nothing illegal about the brake ducts themselves, so Racing Point have been penalised under the FIA’s sporting regulations, which stipulate the listed parts — and which don’t come with the threat of disqualification. Racing Point could legally buy the brake ducts from Mercedes last year, but this year they are one of the listed parts a team must design and manufacture or own the exclusive rights to. On August 30, the British Government changed its Covid-19 quarantine rules: anyone testing positive must self-isolate for 10 days instead of seven. The FIA has impounded the front and rear brake ducts of Racing Point’s Formula 1 cars and ordered Mercedes to provide its corresponding 2019 parts following a protest from Renault. Racing Point RP19 front brake detail Mercedes F1 AMG W10 , brake detail You can see from this comparison image above that it had at least one design which is … Racing Point has been reprimanded after the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix for using the same brake ducts that earned the team a penalty due to the design process. Racing Point has been deducted 15 points in the Formula One constructors’ championship and fined 400,000 euros ($470,000) for using brake ducts based on those from last year’s Mercedes cars Racing Point is also appealing. Racing Point receives a reprimand from FIA after stewards reported that the F1 team used similar brake ducts for which they were penalized. The penalty could have been higher but for the lack of FIA guidance about the rule change that stewards said was a mitigating factor. Partner of USA Today Sports Digital Properties, AXR takes Rolex 24 pole with sprint race win, Patrick Long on Wright Motorsports' crash and chassis change, New H-Modified Racing Club will join two 2021 events, Wright Motorsports crash leads to chassis change, Magnussen, Tandy, Gomes lead Roar night practice, VIDEO: Roar Before The 24 paddock tour with Sebastien Bourdais, UPDATE: Nasr disqualified; Jarvis on pole for qualifying race, VIDEO: Roar Before The 24 with Dixon and van der Zande, Platinum problems for Hand in hunt for new ride. Racing Point team boss Otmar Szafnauer will take lessons away from the 2020 season, but the illegal brake duct ruling still “grates” him. By using Mercedes drawings, it had been able to shortcut the design of a listed part, allowing it to use those design resources elsewhere and potentially gain an advantage over rivals. 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. Reprimands were issued for the Hungarian and British Grands Prix. It took a week to get an answer (quarantine ended after seven days – but he then tested positive again) and it was a timely reminder of the confusion caused when regulation change affects something that’s already begun. You can’t forget them and – if you want to be competitive, you probably don’t want to be starting from scratch. After the Styrian, Hungarian and British Grands Prix, Renault lodged a protest with the stewards, alleging that Racing Point’s brake ducts had been directly copied from the 2019 Mercedes. In addition, motor racing’s governing body, the FIA, said that it would update F1’s sporting and technical regulations to prevent teams from copying the entire concept of another car. Racing Point has "886 individual drawings" to prove brake ducts legal Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer has revealed to the existence of 886 individual drawings as proof the brake ducts on his team's cars this season are legal. The stewards’ judgement in the case acknowledges the “absence of specific guidance or clarification” from motor racing’s governing body, the FIA, in this area. Racing Point boss Otmar Szafnauer says that "it is impossible" for the Formula 1 team's brake ducts to be illegal, amid Renault's protests against them “Racing Point reproduced those aerodynamic aspects very closely in its own RP20 rear brake ducts…this means the RP20 rear brake ducts were designed in large part by Mercedes, not by Racing Point.”. There will be another hearing into the Racing Point brake duct saga after Ferrari, Renault and Racing Point itself all confirmed that they will appeal the decision in the case.…. They found that the advantage to the team of copying the designs allowed it to “allocate a wide range of design resources to other design efforts as opposed to executing the detailed design effort on the rear brake ducts that would have been necessary to replicate the equivalent effort from Mercedes in the original W10 design. stewards were clear that they did not expect the team to replace the part. Another key factor is Racing Point’s decision to replicate last year’s Mercedes with its current RP20. By: Marshall Pruett, Champion sports car driver Joey Hand has been experiencing ‘platinum problems’ for more than a year. The protest itself focused on the RP20's rear brake ducts, which Renault argued were illegal thanks to their similarity to those on last year's Mercedes W10 car. Racing Point reprimand for retaining brake ducts Date published: August 9 2020 Racing Point have been reprimanded following the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix for … Racing Point received 2019-spec Formula 1 brake ducts from Mercedes in January as spare parts for its RP20 car in pre-season testing. The FIA believes only the brake ducts on Racing Point's RP20 can potentially be called into question as it claims the remainder of the car is "much more clear cut".. Race stewards are set to oversee a hearing into Renault's protest against Racing Point that was launched within hours of the close of last Sunday's Styrian Grand Prix. Racing Point team boss Otmar Szafnauer has reaffirmed his belief that the brake ducts on the RP20 comply with the regulations. With a car that replicated the 2019 Mercedes, it made sense to use brake ducts that were designed to work with such a concept. The FIA admits that “the regulations are not black and white in this area and, therefore, open to interpretation”. On Friday the stewards handed the team a €400,000 fine and 15-point deduction in the constructors championship for using the ducts in the Styrian Grand Prix. As of 2020, each team must design their own brake ducts. The FIA stewards’ judgement says: “Whereas generally teams might try to replicate one component from one team and another component from another team…the RP20 Racing Point has done its best to copy the Mercedes W10 as closely as it can across the board. The FIA stated that some different features between the Mercedes and Racing Point designs were “irrelevant”, and that the part’s starting point was crucial. What does that mean when you already have the designs from another team; when you have already used those designs on last year’s car? On Friday morning the stewards announced that they agreed, and reprimanded Racing Point, as well as deducting 15 points and fining them €400,000 - though the team were allowed to keep running the car and were not required to … The FIA did not agree. Renault’s Racing Point protest successful Date published: August 7 2020 Racing Point has been deducted 15 points, fined 400,000 Euros, and were … Its supply agreement with Mercedes also included its engine, gearbox and some suspension parts. Racing Point was fined $657,000 and docked 15 points in the constructors' championship, but allowed to continue using the brake ducts. It said that it has used photographs of the car to develop its own ‘Pink Mercedes’. Part of that original ruling was that Racing Point had not followed the correct process in creating the rear brake ducts, but that the ducts themselves were legal. The Racing Point F1 team has decided that it will no longer appeal the petitions brought against its questionably legal brake ducts. Renault claims that Racing Point received brake duct designs for the 2019 Mercedes W10. Racing Point is appealing in a bid to clear its name, while Renault and Ferrari are appealing on the basis the penalty is not harsh enough. Racing Point … “It is that change in classification that has created the unique set of circumstances that has led to this case,” the FIA wrote in its submission to the stewards. “The CAD models gave Racing Point a 3D model of the surface dimensions/shape of the Mercedes W10 rear brake ducts, which are the crucial aspects of the part from an aerodynamic aspect. But their “enormous aerodynamic effect” led to them being added to the tally of listed parts which must be designed in-house, or specifically for a team, to ensure that F1 remains a constructor series. Racing Point were handed a fifteen-point penalty and a €400,000 fine after protests by the Renault DP World F1 Team for using brake ducts that, in their eyes, had been designed by … The FIA announced that they found Racing Point to have copied, in intricate detail, the front and rear brake ducts of the 2019 Mercedes W10 and applied them on this years RP20. “Therefore, the penalty imposed is intended to penalise the potential advantage Racing Point may have accrued in the brake duct design process which resulted in the use of listed parts which were not designed by it.”. In early 2019, it was announced that brake ducts would become listed parts the following season. “Since the RP20 rear brake ducts were not run on the RP19 and since the stewards believe that the design effort expended any Racing Point in adapting the rear brake ducts originally designed by Mercedes for the W10 pales in comparison to the significance of the original Mercedes work, the stewards conclude that the principal designer of the RP20 rear brake ducts was Mercedes, not Racing Point. Following Mercedes’ lead this year meant that the 2019 rear brake duct drawings it had received from Mercedes were now relevant. And Racing Point had the blueprints already. However, it was only reprimanded for running the car at the Hungarian and British Grands Prix. Last year’s Racing Point used a high-rake design, unlike that year’s Mercedes, which called for unique rear brake ducts. 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Racer Media & Marketing, Inc., 17030 Red Hill Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614, 949.417.6700 Motor racing's governing body, the FIA, has impounded the brake ducts from Racing Point's cars and ordered Mercedes to supply corresponding components from … Racing Point Formula 1 team boss Otmar Szafnauer remains confident that it’s impossible for Silverstone outfit’s brake ducts to be illegal – and claims that he has “886 drawings” that will help prove it. Racing Point was fined €400,000 (£356,000) and docked 15 constructors’ championship points, after the investigation found the rear ducts were based on Mercedes drawings. 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However, with a different aerodynamic concept at the back, it came up with its own concept at the rear. “It took out the CAD models of the Mercedes W10 rear brake ducts and used them to develop rear brake ducts with very similar surface dimensions/shapes (unsurprisingly, since it also did its best to copy the aerodynamic aspects of the rest of the Mercedes W10, including all of its other listed parts).”, “If Racing Point had asked the FIA at the time if it could use the CAD models…the FIA would have said definitely not, because (in contrast to the position in respect of the front brake ducts) Racing Point was not refining a component that had already been incorporated into the DNA of the RP20.”, “The RP20 rear brake ducts were designed in large part by Mercedes, not by Racing Point.”. Racing Point fined and lose 15 points after Renault protest upheld Rear brake ducts on RP20 found to be too closely-resemble the ones on last year’s Mercedes, which Racing Point didn’t run … Sign-up now for access to a limited number of articles. Until this season, it was perfectly legal for one Formula 1 team to buy brake duct designs from another. After the Styrian Grand Prix, in which Racing Point drivers Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll charged from the second half of the grid to challenge for top-six positions for most of the race, Renault protested both RP20s. “To the extent that Racing Point has achieved this by simply photographing components of the Mercedes W10 and reverse engineering them, this is consistent with standard practice (albeit taken to extreme) and no other team could reasonably object.”, The front brake ducts of the 2019 Mercedes W10 and 2020 Racing Point RP20. Racing Point have dropped an appeal against a 400,000 euro ($473,520) fine and 15 point penalty for copying Mercedes' 2019 brake ducts, the Formula … Racing Point RP19 front brake detail Mercedes F1 AMG W10 , brake detail You can see from this comparison image above that it had at least one design which is … As well as challenging the penalty, they may also urge the FIA to look more closely at whether other aspects of the car have also been copied illegally, rather than simply from pictures — as some teams have suggested. And on Friday in Silverstone, the stewards delivered their verdict, upholding Renault’s protest. 2020 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. Its supply agreement with Mercedes also included its engine, gearbox and some suspension parts. Racing Point … This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorization. Racing Point was summoned by the FIA after it was spotted by the stewards during the race that they are using the same designed brake ducts for which they were charged after Renault’s appeal.. Check here for latest versions. Last year’s Mercedes W10 is the inspiration for the current Racing Point, “[Racing Point] decided to replicate the rear of the Mercedes W10 (as well as most other aspects),” the FIA’s Technical Department wrote in evidence for the hearing. This is, however, not the end of the matter: Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and Williams will appeal the decision. “The RP20 Racing Point has done its best to copy the Mercedes W10 as closely as it can across the board.”. Where did this leave Sergio Perez who had already begun his quarantine? Racing Point’s use of Mercedes brake duct designs The saga began in late 2018 when Racing Point received the first CAD designs of brake ducts from the following year’s Mercedes W10, legally. For a better experience, keep your browser up to date. “It is not realistic to expect Racing Point to re-design or re-engineer the brake ducts in a way that would effectively require them to ‘unlearn’ what they already know,” they said. Racing Point was docked 15 points in the Constructors’ Championship and fined €400,000 (£356,000) for the first protest at the Styrian Grand Prix. The stewards agreed. It was a different story at the rear. To access your subscription or free account. "Basically we contend that the brake ducts front and rear that are used on the Racing Point are effectively a Mercedes design, and so have been designed by another competitor," Budkowski explained. They also took into account that Racing Point could have come up with a similar design by studying photographs of the Mercedes “albeit with additional design resources expended in the process”, and that the team had been “open and transparent”. However, the judgement, following a protest by Renault after the Styrian Grand Prix, found that Racing Point’s interpretation was wrong. Although the docked constructors’ points moved Racing Point from fifth to sixth in the standings, their drivers Lance Stroll, son of the team owner, and … If the legal wranglings of F1 are your thing, then 2020 could be a vintage year. Racing Point have been reprimanded for running their disputed rear brake ducts again in today’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. Racing Point has been deducted 15 points in the Formula One constructors’ championship and fined 400,000 euros ($470,000) for using brake ducts based on those from last year’s Mercedes cars. The stewards have actually likewise bought Mercedes to offer the front and back brake ducts utilized on the W10 throughout 2019 in order that the FIA Technical Department might utilize them for their relative analysis. The agent is likewise authorised to hire outdoors technical help, consisting of agents of Racing Point, Renault and Mercedes. The latest news, updates and more straight to your inbox, What Racing Point did wrong: brake duct penalty explained. Jenson Button will join Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as an Extreme E team owner, he has announced today. Racing Point have been deducted 7.5 points per car for use of the brake ducts in the Styrian race, enforced against the constructors’ championship, and fined €200,000 per car, the FIA has announced. This leads to a grey area, because the RP20 is heavily based on last year’s championship-winning Mercedes W10. Where it was legal to use another team’s brake duct design in 2019, it no longer is. The saga began in late 2018 when Racing Point received the first CAD designs of brake ducts from the following year’s Mercedes W10, legally. So it threw out the previous year’s design, dusted down the Mercedes blueprints and began work on that basis. 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