Racing Point stunned by "ruthlessness" of rivals

Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer has revealed to learning a lot from the "ruthlessness" of its rivals following a controversial 2020 season.

Racing Point was deducted 15 points and fined €400,000 for running illegal brake ducts after continual protests from Renault.

The decision led to divisiveness in the paddock as a number of teams threatened to protest what they saw as the leniency of the punishment until the FIA intervened and introduced new regulations that calmed tensions.

Whilst Szafnauer has continually reiterated the parts used on the RP20 were all legal, he has conceded the saga has provided a brutal learning point as a team principal.

"There are a lot of lessons, including the ruthlessness of some of our competitors," he told GPFans Global.

"Don't let the facts stand in the way of a good story. All that kind of stuff. For example, from what we did to the brake ducts was completely legal, it was a transition year from listed parts to non-listed parts.

"We did nothing different and actually, our brake ducts were much more in line with the regulations than some others like Haas and Toro Rosso, for example, who just bought Ferrari ones. We actually designed them ourselves.

"So it just teaches you that even though you are on the right side of the regulations or the law, people can come after you anyway. That I have learnt."

Despite the ruling on the illegal brake ducts happening in August, Szafnauer is still reeling from the decision and has accused the FIA of being indecisive.

"It grates with me because I know we did absolutely nothing wrong," he added. "We informed the FIA in the winter before we started racing.

"Everything was okay and then people changed their minds. That's the thing that grates with me."

Related

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

F1 Race Today: How to watch the 2026 Italian Grand Prix live and FREE

• 23 minutes ago

F1 legend Lewis Hamilton criticises Ferrari AGAIN at Italian Grand Prix - 'pretty bad'

• 1 hour ago

FIA confirm 35-place grid penalty for Red Bull F1 star at Italian Grand Prix

• 1 hour ago

Amended F1 2026 Italian Grand Prix starting grid with late penalties applied

• 2 hours ago

F1 News Today: Lewis Hamilton rival hit with penalty as Toto Wolff blames Max Verstappen

• 3 hours ago

F1 on TV: How US fans can watch the Italian Grand Prix live and FREE

• Yesterday 22:30