Ferrari and Renault officially appeal Racing Point; McLaren withdraw

Formula 1

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Ferrari and Renault officially appeal Racing Point; McLaren withdraw

Ferrari become the first team to officially lodge an appeal against the Racing Point sanction

Sam Hall

Tuesday 11 August 2020 21:56 Updated: 00:40

Ferrari has become the first Formula 1 team to officially appeal the FIA sanction handed to Racing Point.

Racing Point was docked 15 constructors' championship points and handed a €400,000 fine for running rear brake ducts deemed to be illegal as the FIA believe the parts to have been predominantly designed by Mercedes.

Brake ducts are a listed part and as such must be wholly designed and manufactured in house.

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After registering intent to appeal on Friday evening, Ferrari had 96 hours to confirm their desire to continue with the process. The same stipulation applied to Renault, McLaren and Williams, all of whom were asking for clarification on 'copying' and what the acceptable boundaries of the practice are viewed to be.

Ferrari confirmed: "We have just confirmed our intention to appeal against the Stewards’ decision Document 4 (issued on August 7 at 9:30) and Document 41 (issued on August 9 at 16:44)."

Via a statement, Renault said: "We have confirmed our intention to appeal against the Stewards’ decision in respect of the Racing Point brake ducts. In the meantime, we will continue to work intensively with the FIA and all stakeholders to develop and implement a clear and enforceable regulatory framework that will ensure all teams participating in the 2021 season will develop their original aerodynamic concept by themselves."

The same time limit applied for Racing Point, the team appealing in the opposite direction, believing it has been treated harshly and that no illegal activity has taken place.

Although not appealing, Haas boss Guenther Steiner has also made clear his position is aligned to Ferrari, Williams, Renault and McLaren.

The deadline for appeals to be submitted is 9:30 BST on Wednesday morning.

A McLaren spokesperson told GPFans: “McLaren Racing has decided not to appeal the decisions of the FIA Stewards in relation to Renault’s protests of Racing Point. “The team welcomes the Stewards’ decisions and findings in this case and importantly that the FIA has demonstrated that transgressions of the rules will be investigated and punished. Moreover, McLaren Racing is pleased that the FIA will further clarify the sporting and technical regulations to protect Formula 1 as a sport where teams are clearly defined as Constructors, and removes the potential that the Formula 1 World Championship includes cars that are, in effect, copies of other competitors. “Taking the above and a broad view of all factors into account, McLaren Racing will not continue with an appeal in this case. Additionally, McLaren Racing respects the decisions of Ferrari and Renault to pursue their appeals and will follow proceedings with interest.

“There will no further comment at this time.”