Ferrari and Renault have confirmed they are pressing ahead with their appeal against the decision on Racing Point’s car in F1’s ‘copying’ row. Now, half of the grid have launched an intent of appeal, either believing Racing Point are innocent or that they have not been punished enough.<\/p>\n
The stewards decided to fine the team and dock them 15 points, which was delivered at Silverstone last Friday and promoted a huge off-track dispute among teams. They ruled that the brake ducts broke the sporting regulation on the way the team came to the design.<\/p>\n
Ferrari, Renault, Williams and McLaren were unhappy the sanction did not go further, and their rivals could continue using the same design without further penalty. While Racing Point has also launched it’s own protesting its innocence.<\/p>\n
All teams had until this morning to give their appeal plans official, which Ferrari and Renault have now done with the FIA. It will be now waiting for a court date.<\/p>\n
Renault said in a statement said, \u201cWe have confirmed our intention to appeal against the Stewards’ decision in respect of the Racing Point brake ducts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the meantime, we will continue to work intensively with the FIA and all stakeholders to develop and implement a clear and enforceable regulatory framework that will ensure all teams participating in the 2021 season will develop their original aerodynamic concept by themselves.<\/p>\n
McLaren says they will not be appealing but “respects the decisions of Ferrari and Renault to pursue their appeals and will follow proceedings with interest”. A Williams statement also said it will also not pursue further action.<\/p>\n
The row which has been running since Barcelona testing reached new heights when it became clear that Racing Point was quick, and without their points deduction, would be third in the standings.<\/p>\n
The ‘copying’ of rival teams’ cars, from digital photographs, is not illegal in F1 and Racing Point have been clear they have adopted Mercedes’ successful design philosophy for this year.<\/p>\n
While teams can buy certain parts from other teams, technical regulations state other ‘listed parts’ must be designed completely by teams themselves.<\/p>\n
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Racing Point says that it will go ahead with its own appeal against the ruling that it copied Mercedes brake ducts, the team protests its innocence and has done nothing wrong and notified the FIA of its intention to appeal the sanction last Saturday.<\/p>\n
Any intentions to appeal were subject to a 96-hour window to be formalised that would act as the next step in the case, taking it to the FIA\u2019s International Court of Appeal.<\/p>\n
As reported above Ferrari and Renault has launched appeals against the ruling, pursuing a harsher penalty after it was decided that Racing Point could continue to use the brake ducts for the rest of the year. While McLaren and Williams had initially submitted intentions to appeal, but both withdrew from the case in the last 24 hours.<\/p>\n
Team principal Otmar Szafnauer welcomed the opportunity to take the matter to court when speaking last weekend, saying further investigations into the design would only strengthen the team\u2019s case. Saying \u201cThe more you dig, the better off we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
He told Motorsport.com, \u201cThen the judges will understand how we got to this car, how we got to the brake ducts, and overlay the regulations, and see that we were well within the regulations when you overlay them to what the car is and what the process was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWouldn\u2019t it be nice to have clarified the points before, and not punish us for exploiting the rules as they are written? That is what Formula One is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Szafnauer drew comparisons with the double diffuser row in 2009, where someone read the rules, came up with the double diffuser that was then deemed legal.<\/p>\n
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Red Bull boss Christian Horner says that Mercedes could be a guilty party in the Racing Point brake duct case, which is set to go to the International Court of Appeal.<\/p>\n
Racing Point was fined \u20ac400,000 and docked 15 world championship points in a decision issued by the FIA stewards on Friday, but is allowed to use the contentious ducts for the rest of the 2020 season. For every time they continue with these brake ducts, they will be reprimanded.<\/p>\n
The verdict prompted notices of intention to appeal from Renault, Ferrari, McLaren and Williams, while Racing Point has submitted one in an attempt to clear its name.<\/p>\n
Both Renault and Ferrari have since announced their intention to press ahead with the appeal, while McLaren has opted out of active involvement in the case.<\/p>\n
Red Bull says that while it won\u2019t be formally involved in the appeal case it will be keeping a close eye on it, which could have implication for its relationship with sister team Alpha Tauri and the potential impact on the sharing of technology.<\/p>\n
Horner also believes that having supplied CAD information and brake ducts to Racing Point, Mercedes could be a guilty party. He told Motorsport.com, \u201cWell, it’s an interesting one. I think the biggest thing for us is that we just want absolute clarity as to what is and what isn’t permissible moving forwards.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously Red Bull are in the unique position that they own 100% of two Grand Prix teams. So we’ve always complied stringently with the regulations since the constructor rules within the last Concorde were made very, very clear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Horner says for Red Bull the debate is about the bigger picture, and what is a philosophically allowed, and what isn’t. he says the question is also whether the party supplying the information, Mercedes, are as guilty as those receiving the information.<\/p>\n
Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko stressed that while his two teams didn\u2019t get involved in the appeal process, they want to see a harsher sanction.<\/p>\n
He told Sky Sports Germany, \u201cWe are not part of it because there are enough teams who have lodged their intention to appeal. But this result is not satisfactory for us either, because it does not bring the clarification we had hoped for. I hope that this will happen in the appeal process.<\/p>\n
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