Renault protest of Racing Point "admissible"; Mercedes now involved

The FIA has deemed Renault's protest against Racing Point's cars as "admissible" and is now to launch a detailed investigation that has drawn Mercedes into the fray.

Following the Styrian Grand Prix, Renault lodged a protest with the stewards, citing the FIA's sporting regulations that pertain, in particular, to listed parts.

It has now emerged the parts in question relate to the front and rear brake ducts of the RP20 driven by Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll, and their manufacture in relation to those on last year's title-winning Mercedes W10.

Racing Point has previously freely admitted the design of this year's car was spawned from photographs of the W10, that earned itself the nickname 'the pink Mercedes'.

The potential design of the brake ducts, however, should only have been conducted by Racing Point, and not Mercedes. The parts on the RP20 have since been sealed and impounded, while those on the W10 are to face a future examination.

The FIA stated that: "With regards to front and rear brake ducts used on cars 11 and 18, the stewards summoned and heard from the team representatives of both teams and a representative of the FIA Technical Department.

"The stewards determined that the protest met all requirements specified in Article 13 of the FIA International Sporting Code and is, therefore, admissible.

"The FIA Technical Department representative was directed to seal and impound the relevant parts of cars 11 and 18 in preparation for conducting a detailed analysis of those pieces.

"The representative is further directed to provide a detailed report to the stewards with the findings and to include an assessment that matches those findings against the alleged infringements outlined in the protest.

"The representative is authorised in the name of the stewards to call upon such outside technical assistance, including representatives of the following teams - Renault DP World F1 Team; BWT Racing Point F1 Team; Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team - in the conduct of their assessment.

"Furthermore, the stewards ordered the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team to provide the front and rear brake air ducts of the Mercedes-AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+ used by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in the 2019 season to the FIA Technical Department for examination.

"When the likely submission date of the assessment can be determined, the FIA Technical Department representative will communicate that."

It means the result of the Styrian Grand Prix, in which Perez and Stroll finished sixth and seventh respectively, is provisional.

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