Renault wants Racing Point to lose all F1 points

Renault believes Racing Point should lose all of the points it has scored while running its disputed brake ducts at the start of the 2020 Formula 1 season.

The FIA stewards concluded that Racing Point had breached F1’s sporting regulations regarding the design of its brake ducts and docked the Silverstone-based outfit 15 constructors’ championship points, as well as a €400,000 fine.

But Racing Point is being allowed to continue using the controversial brake ducts for the remainder of the season, with the team only facing a reprimand at each event it uses them. That decision has angered Racing Point’s rivals, including Renault and Ferrari.

Renault originally protested the RP20 cars in the Styrian, Hungarian and British Grands Prix and the French manufacturer’s team principal, Cyril Abiteboul, is leading the push for a harsher penalty to be dished out to Racing Point.

“We were expecting a consistent sanction with other sanctions that we’ve seen in the past,” Abiteboul said.

“The most recent point being the one that we accepted last year after Suzuka, when we were found in breach of the sporting regulations and not the technical regulations, and excluded from that event and therefore losing all our points.

“There was no discount for Renault so I don’t know why there should be a discount for Racing Point. It should be all the points of the events that we’ve protested.”

Renault is set to continue to lodge a protest after every grand prix in which Racing Point runs its brake ducts until the Court of Appeal has made a final verdict.

“After every single event, Otmar [Szafnauer] will be called to the stewards, his brake ducts will be found similar to what they were and unchanged, and he will receive again a reprimand,” Abiteboul explained.

“We are facing again a prospect of what, 10 races, where his cars will be reprimanded. It’s a bit of a strange situation. We’d like to have also a bit more clarity about that, not necessarily saying they should be excluded for the season.

“But from a communication standpoint to the fans, to the public, explaining why a car is still somewhat in breach because it will receive a reprimand, but it’s OK to be part of the championship and therefore be eligible for points, we think it’s a bit awkward.

“We’d like also some closure about that if possible.”

But Racing Point team boss Otmar Szafnauer is confident the team will succeed in its bid to overturn what it feels was an extreme penalty, citing a lack of clarity in the regulations.

“We’ve appealed the decision based on what the stewards had written in their findings, and the findings are pretty clear that we didn’t do anything underhand or dishonest,” Szafnauer said.

“We were completely transparent and open with the FIA throughout their process of checking both our brake ducts and the remainder of our car.

“They concluded that the rule, especially for brake ducts transitioning from a non-listed part to a listed part were ambiguous and unclear.

“Because of it, we believe our punishment for an unclear and ambiguous rule that we didn’t intentionally contravene is a bit harsh. It’s the reason we’re appealing, and we’re very confident we’ll win on the appeal.”