F1: Racing Point penalised for copying Mercedes

Racing Point's Nico Hulkenberg during practice at Silverstone yesterday. Pic/AFP

The Racing Point F1 team were docked 15 points on Friday after a complaint by rivals Renault, who claimed parts of their 2020 car were copied from Mercedes' title-winning 2019 machine, was upheld.

The sport's ruling body the International Motoring Federation (FIA) said Racing Point had been reprimanded for continuing to use their illegal cars, dubbed the pink Mercedes, at the Hungarian and British Grands Prix.

The team was also fined 400,000 euros (Rs 3.5 cr). The FIA stewards' verdict pointed out that while the matter—in particular a protest at the validity of the brake ducts of the Racing Point cars—was essentially technical, the team had been in breach of the sporting and not the technical regulations and thus escaped a disqualification.

Meanwhile, Racing Point team boss Otmar Szafnauer said the decision was bewildering. "It's just a matter of process, which is in the sporting regulations. We read the sporting regulations. There is nothing specific, which says we couldn't do what we did. Other teams have done the same, probably even more than what we did in a way. It's a bit bewildering," Szafnauer said.
AFP

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