[ 2020 ] Racing Point F1 Team - Mercedes

[JPBD1990]

I’m not trying to flame bait I’m intrigued and hoping someone can help.

I understand it’s legal (or was) to buy parts ‘off the shelf’ like brake ducts, gearbox, etc - but why is nobody talking about the fact that the verdict confirms that Mercedes provided them with CAD drawings of the rear brake ducts. Is that legal? I had no idea, and my view is it shouldn’t be legal...

[ScrewCaptain27]

I think Mercedes could have actually sold them most of the bodywork as “memorabilia” (all teams sell old parts, it’s not illegal) and they did 3D scans of it.

[RZS10]

Reading the document it's clear that they did their best to make sure there won't be any 'customer cars' in the future ...

RP received various CAD data for the W10 (2019 car) front and rear brake ducts in a span of a year (late 2018 to late 2019)
They used that data for their 2019 and 2020 front brake ducts which means that the 2020 front ducts are an iteration of their 2019 ducts, thus legal.
The decision to make the rear brake ducts listed parts happened at the end of April 2019.
Apparently RP copied the rear brake ducts in late 2019.
The rear brake ducts legally became listed parts from 2020 onwards.

They now claim that since they knew the intent of the rules mid 2019 they shouldn't have copied the parts in late 2019 even though they still weren't listed parts then.

It's an "intent of the rules" decision, isn't it? Doubt it will stand in a proper court.

[JPBD1990]

I think Mercedes could have actually sold them most of the bodywork as “memorabilia” (all teams sell old parts, it’s not illegal) and they did 3D scans of it.

Thanks. Fair point from like an ‘academic’ perspective but god... I am straight up disappointed. Not in Mercedes, or even racing point, in the whole thing. F1, FIA, the sporting regs. This is an absolute debacle and undoes so much of the stuff I liked about F1.

[SiLo]

Have any of you read the actual document? There are plenty of reasons given for the decision and it makes sense. Looks like they have to redesign the rear brake ducts and that's it.

In terms of the rest of the car, they haven't broken any rules at all.

[caesar1]

Have any of you read the actual document? There are plenty of reasons given for the decision and it makes sense. Looks like they have to redesign the rear brake ducts and that's it.

In terms of the rest of the car, they haven't broken any rules at all.

The FIA says they don't have to redesign the rear brake ducts.

[TimW]

So 400k and 15 points for the rear brake ducts. Can they now protest every other copied component one by one(with a penalty for each)?

[RZS10]

How would you even redesign a part that essentially has to look exactly like the part you are using in order to work properly?
There's no way for them to now "design" a part that could replace the current ones. Do you task a different group of people with designing it, people that hadn't seen the previous ducts?

"The Stewards acknowledge that since the RBDs are compliant with the 2020 FIA F1 Technical Regulations it is not realistic to expect Racing Point to re‐design or re‐engineer the BDs in a way that would effectively require them to “unlearn” what they already know. Therefore, the penalty imposed is intended to penalize the potential advantage Racing Point may have accrued in the BD design process which resulted in the use of LPs which were not designed by it."

Apparently all RP had to do in order for their RBDs to be fine was running them at one event in 2019, just throwing the parts on one of their cars for FP1.

[214270]

Reading the document it's clear that they did their best to make sure there won't be any 'customer cars' in the future ...

RP received various CAD data for the W10 (2019 car) front and rear brake ducts in a span of a year (late 2018 to late 2019)
They used that data for their 2019 and 2020 front brake ducts which means that the 2020 front ducts are an iteration of their 2019 ducts, thus legal.
The decision to make the rear brake ducts listed parts happened at the end of April 2019.
Apparently RP copied the rear brake ducts in late 2019.
The rear brake ducts legally became listed parts from 2020 onwards.

They now claim that since they knew the intent of the rules mid 2019 they shouldn't have copied the parts in late 2019 even though they still weren't listed parts then.

It's an "intent of the rules" decision, isn't it? Doubt it will stand in a proper court.

Great summary.

It does actually seem like an intent of the rules issue as you’ve put it. They purchased the rear ducts/plans, as was legal before the changeover. Granted they didn’t run the rears, but that’s their right; I really don’t see an impropriety.

[PowerandtheGlory]

I think the conclusion is very clear, because the team didn't race the 2019 part.. they simply used it as a basis for the 2020 car, they had no data from using it themselves, and they saved resource not designing it, which gave them a competitive advantage to build (copy) the rest of the car.. i.e. cheating.. they Benefitted from being given the part. The TP need to take the hit for stupidly being brazen and saying they copied it.. they could have been more tactful..

[RZS10]

It's sad to hear the sky commentators now claiming this set some precedent where teams can just get parts from other teams for -15 points ...

The decision makes very clear that they believe they could have designed very similar parts even without the CAD data but that it would have taken more time and that they believe RP never had the intention to break the rules - both mitigating factors.

[proteus]

So, brakes are illegal. They are taking away only 15 points while with illegal car, they have managed to score 42. It would all be fine if they would let them their points and demand to change the design of their brakes and simply force them to skip British GP this weekend.

[214270]

I think the conclusion is very clear, because the team didn't race the 2019 part.. they simply used it as a basis for the 2020 car, they had no data from using it themselves, and they saved resource not designing it, which gave them a competitive advantage to build (copy) the rest of the car.

The issue is that this practice might be distasteful but completely legal. There isn’t anything preventing this in the rulebook. Hence, the slap-on-the-wrist type penalty.

[bauc]

FIA rulling is a joke, a JOKE! 15 points and 400.000$ for stealing a intellectual property? Plus RP are fined for the first race and only reprimanded for the next two???

[SiLo]

So, brakes are illegal. They are taking away only 15 points while with illegal car, they have managed to score 42. It would all be fine if they would let them their points and demand to change the design of their brakes and simply force them to skip British GP this weekend.

No. The brakes are legal. The design process they used to design them is illegal. If you read the document it explains it all very well.