Renault has officially protested the legality of Racing Point’s ‘Pink Mercedes’ after the Styrian Grand Prix on Sunday.
This season the Silverstone-based team has been the most improved on the grid, not only leading the midfield outfits but also outpacing the struggling Ferrari and even keeping Red Bull on their toes.
Ever since it broke cover during pre-season testing, however, the 2020 car has been controversial because of the similarities it has with last year’s Mercedes W10.
McLaren and Renault have been particularly vocal about the car hinting that the near-identical designs can’t be coincidental, but after opting not to protest last weekend, the French manufacturer has now done so.
The likely reason for their decision to do so now is that Racing Point’s drivers, Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll, finished just ahead of Daniel Ricciardo during Sunday’s race at the Red Bull Ring.
Their argument is the car broke Articles 2.1, 3.2, Appendix 6 Paragraph 1, 2(a) and 2(c) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations 2020 during the race.
These all relate to the design of the car whether it be knowingly entering a race with a car that is in breach of regulations or the use of listed parts that can be bought in from other teams/ suppliers.
“The obligation to design and use Listed Parts shall not prevent a competitor from Outsourcing the design and/or manufacture of any Listed Parts to a third party (including an Associate of such competitor) provided that:
“It retains the exclusive right to use the Listed Parts in Formula One so long as it competes in Formula One.
“In the case of the Outsourcing of design, such third party shall not be a competitor or a party that directly or indirectly designs Listed Parts for any competitor,” it adds.
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In response, Racing Point has always admitted their car takes inspiration from last year’s Mercedes, in a change of approach that they believe helps them maximise the engine and gearbox which is supplied by the German manufacturer.
The team also claims the FIA has already checked the legality of their car earlier this year and is happy that it is not a complete ‘Pink Mercedes’, while McLaren also decided not to protest themselves because there were no grounds on which to do so.
