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Mercedes is not implicated in the Racing Point/Renault protest because there is no indication it supplied information relating to components in 2020, says the FIA.
Renault protested Racing Point’s brake ducts following the Styrian Grand Prix, finally turning a long-running grievance about the RP20’s design inspiration from last year’s Mercedes into a legal challenge.
As part of the FIA’s investigation, Mercedes has been ordered to prove its 2019 brake ducts as a point of comparison to Racing Point’s 2020 components.
Brake ducts were not Listed Parts last year, which meant teams were clear to purchase them from other teams.
If the transfer of intellectual property took place on a component that was also a Listed Part last year, it would not be acceptable and would implicate both Racing Point and Mercedes.
That is why the governing body went to the Racing Point factory to conduct an initial analysis before the intended start of the season months ago.
Although FIA head of single-seater technical matter Nikolas Tombazis has admitted that the Racing Point brake ducts were not specifically investigated at that point, Mercedes is not implicated because this component was not a Listed Part last year and any transfer of information in 2019 is not an issue.
If Mercedes had provided info this year, it would be implicated, but the FIA has no indication that has been the case.
“I think it’s pretty straightforward,” said Mercedes technical director James Allison earlier on Friday when asked by The Race if there was any frustration about the implications of Mercedes being ordered to put forward its 2019 brake ducts.
“There’s an argument between Racing Point and Renault and in order to settle that argument the FIA need to seek some information from us because the dispute is about what brake ducts Racing Point are running.
“So we’re perfectly happy to provide them with the information they asked for on last year’s Mercedes brake ducts.”
Racing Point has been given three weeks to produce its document for the stewards but it is expected to be submitted much sooner, with a verdict to be reached before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Either team will then have four days to appeal after that, which means a final decision at the absolute latest the week after the Spanish Grand Prix.
Renault’s original protest only applies to the Styrian GP, and Racing Point is allowed to continue running its brake ducts until a verdict is reached.
That means Renault will have to protest the other races that occur in the meantime, if it wants those results to remain provisional as well.
Renault has the right to lodge repeat protests and the FIA expects this to be utilised.
As this could span multiple grand prix weekends, the FIA is likely to establish a set of stewards to rule on the topic rather than be changing stewards for each race involved in the protest.
