Guenther Steiner won't jump to conclusions over Racing Point investigation

Haas

Steiner won't jump to conclusions over Racing Point investigation

Racing Point is being investigated for the use of listed parts from Mercedes

Sam Hall

Friday 17 July 2020 09:32

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has refused to join the Renault calls of foul play against Racing Point.

Following the Styrian Grand Prix, Renault lodged an official protest against Racing Point, citing the FIA's listed parts regulations.

The French manufacturer claims the RP20's front and rear brake ducts to be a copy of those on Mercedes' title-winning W10. The parts were sealed and impounded at the Red Bull Ring, while Mercedes asked to make its brake ducts from last year's car available for inspection.

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Assessing the merits of Renault's case, Steiner said: "You cannot jump to conclusions and you cannot judge what they are doing.

"Until the FIA does a proper investigation - and it should be done behind closed doors obviously - and everything comes out onto the table, you cannot say.

"I think what they did, you can do legally. I don't know if they did, but I'm not here to judge if it is wrong or right, not having the information. That would not be correct."

Haas and Steiner, though, are in a better position to judge because in 2019 the team's cars were criticised for bearing a striking resemblance to the previous year's Ferrari.

While Racing Point finds itself in a similar situation, Haas was able to run the Ferrari brake ducts, in particular, as the part was not yet a listed component.

While this year's regulations have banned this practice, Steiner outlined how his team ensured it did not fall foul of the rules.

"Up to a certain point you can buy or copy what someone else has got, and then all the parts you can't see on the inside, you have to do yourself," he explained.

"Obviously, you can see them, so you can copy them, but you have to do the design of them yourself, and that is what they are doing.

"I don't have their detail, so I can just speak for us. We did it completely legally, and I think they could have done. Yes or no? I don't know.

"You see the path, and you just take the same geometry, but you're not getting the part or the data for that part. You design it yourself, and if you can prove you designed it yourself, you are okay."

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