SportPesa Racing Point plan huge update before summer

Mark Scott

SportPesa Racing Point are planning to introduce an update that will see the RP19 become “almost a new car” before the summer break period.

The team formerly known as Force India have started the 2019 season with a steady stream of points to sit P5 in the Constructors’ Championship.

But the Spanish Grand Prix yielded nil points as the Circuit de Catalunya once again exposed the weaknesses of the car.

The team are planning to respond with a “big” update and the German Grand Prix weekend has been pencilled in as the possible introduction date.

“[Barcelona] is a difficult circuit for us with respect to the balance of the car that we’ve had recently,” technical director Andy  Green told Motorsport.com.

“And I’m talking over the last few years, it’s something we haven’t been able to address fully for a while.

“But we have some new parts coming, almost a new car coming, before the summer shutdown. Hopefully we’ll address some of the issues that we tend to have at this type of circuit.

“A 180-degree corner, we tend to use too much of the tyres, we can’t keep a good balance for the whole of the corner.

“You can have a good balance in the middle of the corner, or the beginning of the corner, or the end of the corner, but we can’t go from beginning to end with a good balance. That’s the part that we’re struggling with.”

Green said the team are still playing catch up after uncertain times last season, but their development plan will lead all the way through to a “ground-up” car for the 2020 campaign.

He added: “We are still playing catch up to a certain extent, but we’re not stopping, that’s the beauty.

“We’re not going to stop learning now and focus on something else, all the ideas we’ve got keep on developing.

“They’re all coming through, update after update. I don’t think we’ll catch up fully until the new car. Next year is a ground up new car.”

Team principal Otmar Szafnauer disagreed that a mid-season change in philosophy was a big risk and said the update will “improve the car forever.”

“This is a big one,” Szafnauer added to Motorsport.com.

“And the aerodynamic philosophy changes as well, so it’s a big thing. We have to try and get it in asap, hopefully before Hungary.”

“It’s not a risk, no. I think other people are already doing what we’re trying to do.

“A lot of things will change, it’s a big mass flow rate of air change. Directionally it’s the right thing, and it’s something that will also continue to help improve the car forever.”

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