Protested brake ducts the only issue with "clear cut" Racing Point - FIA

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.

The protest pertains to a breach of the FIA's listed parts regulations, and that the brake ducts on the RP20 in relation to those used on Mercedes' 2019 W10.

The difficulty of the case is that while the parts were not listed in 2019, and Mercedes was free to supply to Racing Point that year, for this season the part is listed. It means Racing Point should have designed and constructed its own brake ducts for the RP20.

From Racing Point's perspective, it would have been a case of trying to forget what they already knew with regard to the point.

Explaining the case, the FIA's head of single-seater technical matters, Nikolas Tombazis told Sky Sports F1: "I don't want to pre-judge what they [Racing Point] will say.

"I think that's going to be a sort of philosophical debate. I don't think it will be a debate trying to play the detective and find what happened. The debate will be more philosophical from a regulation point of view whether they followed the right process.

"The regulations say that some pieces are so-called 'listed', and each team must make their own and design their own from scratch, and other components can be transferred between teams.

"The particular question about brake ducts is the status of those components changed from 2019 to '20, so in 2019 teams could legitimately sell their brake ducts to another team. In 2020 that has changed.

"So Renault is questioning the process that was followed by Racing Point in order to adopt these brake ducts."

As to whether another team could protest another part after this particular case has been heard, Tombazis added: "The rest of the car is much more clear cut. It was listed in 2019 and remains so.

"So if, for example, Racing Point had received information from Mercedes on, say, the front wing, that would be blatantly illegal. They would be in serious trouble for that.

"I don't think anyone is saying that has happened. It's a case specifically for these components.

"The rest of the car we get the impression Racing Point has done a lot of photographing and they've done a lot of reverse engineering from that, but not actually received information from Mercedes."

Tombazis has confirmed the hearing is likely to take place just before the weekend of the British Grand Prix.

Before you go...

Signing Vettel "fraught with...bear traps" - Mercedes

"Outside" pressure building on Ferrari boss Binotto

Related

Formula 1

F1 reveals viewing figure drop for European based 2020 season

• February 8, 2021 11:45

Aston Martin

Stroll laments missed podium opportunities

• January 22, 2021 14:58