Racing Point found guilty of copying Mercedes brake ducts
The Racing Point team has just been judged by the FIA as guilty of copying the brake ducts from the 2019 Mercedes. The Canadian team is penalized with 15 points in the championship and a fine of €400,000. At the same time, the FIA has legalized these brake ducts for the upcoming races.
Renault had lodged a complaint with the race stewards during the Styrian Grand Prix, the British Grand Prix, and the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix against the Racing Point cars.
Their argument was that the Canadian team, already accused of having plagiarized the 2019 version of the Mercedes from photos, had entirely copied the brake ducts of the Mercedes W10 – with or without technical documents.
Renault’s arguments were heard this Saturday in Paris, and the FIA heard Renault’s arguments and decided to rule in their favor. The sanction is heavy for the Canadian team that took over the Force India team in mid-2019: a €400,000 fine and 15 points deducted from their 2020 standings.
Racing Point is therefore found guilty of violating the rule that states you cannot copy a part from competitors. Nevertheless, to avoid penalizing the team in the upcoming races of the season and to not force them to hastily develop new brake ducts, they have been authorized to continue using the same brake ducts for the rest of the year.
The FIA states in its press release that the teams have 96 hours to appeal the decision.
