The Racing Point brake duct legality row is officially over after Ferrari withdrew its appeal to the International Court of Appeal.
Ferrari was the last of the teams arguing that Racing Point should get a harsher penalty than the fine and 15-point deduction it received when judged to have used Mercedes information in its brake duct design.
The case had begun as a Renault protest against the brake ducts as a method of bringing the ‘Pink Mercedes’ row over Racing Point’s copying of Mercedes design to a head.
McLaren, Williams and Renault had already backed away from the ICA process, with Racing Point – which was arguing for a smaller penalty – doing likewise earlier today and leaving only Ferrari actively involved in the matter.
Shortly after the finish of the Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari announced that it was also dropping the issue as it was now satisfied that future rules tweaks would solve the wider dispute.
“In recent weeks, the collaboration between FIA, Formula 1 and the teams has produced a series of acts – amendments to the 2021 technical and sporting regulations, approved by the F1 Commission and the FIA World Motor Sport Council, and technical directives – which clarify the responsibilities of each championship participant in the design of the components of a single-seater and implement specific monitoring procedures to ensure that both the letter and the spirit of the regulations are fully respected,” said a Ferrari statement.
“Scuderia Ferrari expresses its appreciation for the timeliness with which the FIA and Formula 1 have effectively tackled a fundamental aspect of the DNA of this highly competitive sport.”
Ferrari was believed to have been pursuing the case for slightly different reasons to the other aggrieved teams, as it was concerned by a grey area that opened the potential for Racing Point to add Mercedes’ radical rear suspension to its 2021 Aston Martin design without using a development token.
