Racing Point has announced it’s withdrawing their appeal given to them over the use of listed parts on its 2020 car.
Last month, the Silverstone-based team was docked 15 Constructors’ points and fined 400k Euros after the stewards declared the rear brake ducts were in breach of the regulations as they had been designed and developed by Mercedes, despite being a part that all teams must create themselves.
That penalty didn’t sit well with anyone as five teams initially declared their intention to appeal with three; Renault, Ferrari and Racing Point proceeding.
Last week, Renault was first to withdraw from the process, as it was satisfied with the FIA’s push to prevent teams producing ‘copycat’ cars in the 2021 regulations.
And now Racing Point has followed suit, as they feel it has been proven what they did was not a deliberate illegal act.
“We welcome the resolution the teams have agreed, and we’re pleased the FIA has provided much-needed clarification of the rules on listed and non-listed parts,” a statement read on Sunday.
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“The stewards and all parties involved in the appeals process recognise that there was a lack of clarity in the regulations and that we did not deliberately break them.
“Now that the ambiguity around the regulations has been settled, we have decided to withdraw our appeal in the wider interests of the sport.
“This issue has been a distraction for us and the other teams, but now we and everyone else can get back to focusing solely on what we’re all here to do: racing hard and providing excitement and entertainment for the millions of F1 fans around the world.”
Ferrari, however, is pushing ahead with their appeal.
“We have confirmed our protest so we have appealed the decision of the stewards of the past races,” team boss Mattia Binotto said on Friday.
“The reason is that we are fully convinced that what Racing Point did this season is not right. We believe that it is against the principle of our sport, and we believe that it cannot happen in the future.
“In that respect, we are asking and seeking clarity from the FIA. If let me say regulations will be put in place, or a technical directive for the future in 2021 where we are pretty sure it will not be possible to copy, we are ready to withdraw our appeal.”
Throughout the controversy, Mercedes has stood by Racing Point over their controversial car, which is considered to be a clone of last year’s W11.
And Binotto is a little perplexed as to why the German manufacturer is happy to have another team essentially copy their designs.
“Looking at competitors, trying to understand what they do, trying to study their car has been part of F1 history and I do not see anything bad in that,” he noted.
“But I think to copy an entire design, that’s a dangerous period because that’s IP [intellectual property]. If I had been Mercedes, I would have protested someone copying myself.
“So I think that’s simply the spirit. I think taking pictures has always been done and I do not see anything wrong in the fact itself.”
