13:32 – Racing Point has withdrawn its appeal against the penalty it received in the brake ducts case. The reason for this is that the rules surrounding the listed and non-listed parts have been clarified, so that the appeal has now become a ‘diversion’.
Prior to the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, Racing Point was penalized for using rear brake ducts that did not comply with sporting regulations. These were copies that the team received from Mercedes in 2019, when the brake ducts were still non-listed parts. This means that at the time, the teams were allowed to buy and use the designs of another team. Since the beginning of 2020, the brake ducts have been listed as parts, so each team is responsible for designing those parts themselves. It was ruled that this was not the case at Racing Point, and so the team was given a 15-point deduction and a € 400,000 fine.
Racing Point appealed that penalty, which was considered too severe for the offense. A contributing factor in this was that the stewards admitted that the rules regarding listed and non-listed parts were not clear enough. On the other hand, Renault, Ferrari, McLaren and Williams appealed because they thought the penalty was not severe enough. In recent weeks, Renault, McLaren and Williams have already withdrawn from the appeal because they consider the upcoming rule changes regarding copying other cars to be enough to prevent a repeat of moves.
Now Racing Point is also withdrawing from the profession, the team announced in a statement. “We welcome the solution agreed between the teams, and are pleased that the FIA has provided the necessary clarifications to the rules on listed and non-listed parts,” the statement read. “The stewards and all parties involved in the appeal process acknowledge that there was a lack of clarity in the rules and that we did not break them on purpose. Now that the ambiguity surrounding the rules has been cleared, we have decided to withdraw our appeal in the broader importance of the sport This issue has been a distraction for us and other teams, but now we and everyone else can focus again on what we actually do: racing hard, providing excitement and entertainment for the millions of F1 fans across the world. whole world.”
Ferrari is currently the only team that continues with the appeal procedure against the Racing Point penalty. Earlier this weekend, team boss Mattia Binotto already said that there is a considerable chance that the Scuderia will also withdraw. The team will do so as soon as the FIA can show the final regulations for 2021, which will really restrict copying from other teams.
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