11 augustus 2020 – Is Mercedes anything to blame in the drawn-out case against Racing Point about the copying behavior? So far, the brand with the star has remained out of harm’s way, because the information transfer would only have taken place in 2019. But new information raises the eyebrows of competitors, including that of Haas team boss Guenther Steiner.
In 2019, the much-discussed brake ducts still fell under the so-called ‘non-listed parts’, which allowed information transfer between different teams. For 2020, however, the regulations have changed and the brake ducts fall under the ‘listed parts’. Teams must therefore drive with their own design and have the intellectual property themselves. For Racing Point’s case, this means that Mercedes was still allowed to share all kinds of data, information and knowledge in 2019, but that Racing Point was not allowed to use those things one-on-one in 2020.
Until recently, this also seemed to be the situation that Mercedes had only shared information in 2019 and would remain out of harm’s way. The only question would be what Racing Point did with that information in 2020. But recent information shows that things are different and that Racing Point received brake ducts from Mercedes in January 2020. And that is precisely what raises many questions among competitors, because is Mercedes not as innocent as it seems?
Haas team boss Guenther Steiner dares to answer the question. Unlike Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and Williams, his team has not formally appealed, but that does not alter the fact that the outspoken team boss has similar objections. The Italian is not surprised that Mercedes is the only opponent to choose the side of Racing Point. “No, I am not at all surprised by that. They have [in 2020] apparently still given data to Racing Point and that is simply not allowed. Ferrari, for example, would never give us data on brake ducts for our car this year, simply because it is prohibited. In that respect I understand that he [Wolff] trying to defend things now. “
In that regard, Steiner eagerly awaits the appeal of four rival F1 teams and especially the answer to the question of whether there will be consequences for Mercedes. “If Mercedes still shared information in 2020 in a way that is not allowed, then there should indeed also be consequences for them. Anyway, the FIA must first find out whether this is the case or not. Hopefully it can be done internationally. The Court of Appeal provide more clarity on this than the stewards. “
Wolff is not worried about rivals’ appeals
Toto Wolff says he is not worried about the continuation of this process. “We feel 100 percent comfortable with our own position. We have read and followed the rules time and again,” said the Austrian. Nevertheless, he is surprised that Racing Point is labeled ‘guilty’. “The verdict that the FIA has now released is extremely complex and shows an interpretation beyond the readings that were unknown to us. We shared certain data in 2019, but it was all within the rules. The January 6 has no effect. on this matter, because the whole trade has been delivered much earlier. All drawings and data have also been transferred at a much earlier time and Racing Point and we still believe it is fully within the regulations. ”
