Sergio Perez, Racing Point, Hungaroring, 2020

McLaren “would be surprised” if Renault’s protest against Racing Point succeeds

2020 Hungarian Grand Prix

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McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl says the team supports Renault’s protest against Racing Point’s car, but suspects the stewards will rule the RP20 is legal.

Renault brought a protest against the design of the RP20’s brake ducts following Sunday’s Styrian Grand Prix. The team is querying whether Racing Point holds the intellectual property to the design of the parts as the rules require.

Racing Point has freely admitted the design of its car is closely based on last year’s championship-winning Mercedes W10. But Renault believes the team may have exceeded what the rules permit in crafting what rival teams have dubbed its ‘pink Mercedes’.

Seidl, however, suspects Racing Point will be cleared. “Regarding the protest itself in detail, obviously we don’t know as a team all the details that are behind [it]. And to be honest with the way how outspoken and proud Racing Point has also been about their coping job, running a one-year-old Mercedes, I would be surprised if there’s anything being done, which was not according [with] what is possible within exploring the limits of the regulations.”

The protest will focus attention on an area of the rules which requires clarification, Seidl expects.

“You obviously welcome any clarifications on this topic because it’s an important topic for us as McLaren,” he said. “I think this protest is another key element on making some clarifications on FIA and Formula 1 side of what they want Formula 1 to be in the future.

Racing Point, Melbourne, 2020
Analysis: Why Racing Point is under protest by Renault – and the loophole which could clear them
“Will they want that Formula 1 ends up in a copying championship, in a championship where you end up with, let’s say, two or three constructors or manufacturers and you simply have then more cars of one manufacturer or constructor on track? We definitely think [this] is the wrong way to go for Formula 1 and it’s also not a sustainable.

“For us, Formula 1, or what makes Formula 1 so special, is that Formula 1 always has been a competition between 10 constructors. The final car, in the end is the result of the know-how, the power, engineering power you have built up within your own team over years. And in the end that’s a competition we all want to be in. And I think also fans want to see, in the end, on track.”

Asked whether the protest could hinge on a loophole under which Racing Point is allowed to use Mercedes’ 2019 brake duct design if it acquired the IP before the start of this year, Seidl said: “Honestly, we don’t know as a team all the details of the protest.

“I think therefore it doesn’t make sense to comment on it because it would just be speculation. Again, we fully support all these initiatives also from Renault’s side because it simply helps us to get clarification.”

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6 comments on “McLaren “would be surprised” if Renault’s protest against Racing Point succeeds”

  1. I’m fully agree that F1 will rule the RP20 as legal. But if McLaren didn’t do the same they’ll miss the chance to learn 2019 Mercedes brake duct closely.

  2. And to be honest with the way how outspoken and proud Racing Point has also been about their coping job, running a one-year-old Mercedes, I would be surprised if there’s anything being done, which was not according [with] what is possible within exploring the limits of the regulations

    Why then were you skeptical last year about the Ferrari PU despite the fact that Ferrari were very outspoken and proud about their engines being the strongest on the grid ? Double standard, right ? It’s not about intent, it’s about evidence and I think it’s clearer ,even to the casual fan, that the RP20 is a pink Mercedes W10 than the Ferrari engine trick.
    Guess what, they will have the Mercedes PU next year so if this will be cleared we may end up also having the Orange Mercedes as well.

    1. Mercedes on track to lock out positions 1-6 of the grid at some point in the future. Wonder who will be able to make the best copy?

    2. @tifoso1989 Was Seidl an outspoken skeptic of the Ferrari power unit? I don’t recall him making any particularly controversial comments on it, but maybe I missed it.

      1. @keithedin Seidl himself, as far as I can tell, has been quite restrained with regards to Ferrari’s power unit and the subsequent investigation – the only comment of note he’s made recently was that, during an interview last month where Renault and Red Bull were both reiterating their intention to demand more information from the FIA, was that Seidl added the remark “Ferrari could have done itself a favour with more transparency.”

  3. And to be honest with the way how outspoken and proud Racing Point has also been about their coping job, running a one-year-old Mercedes

    I rest my case. everyone knows that it is the same car, but there is cumplicity between Ferrari RB and Merc and their B teams and customer teams therefore Renault is the only one that can be angry about RP, the rest jealous.

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