McLaren hit out at Racing Point’s ‘BS’ defence
McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes there could be other issues surrounding the legality of the Racing Point cars after saying their defence was ‘BS’.
Racing Point were punished with a 15-point deduction in the F1 Constructors’ World Championship and a 400,000 euros fine after Renault’s protest was upheld, with the design of the rear brake ducts found to be in breach of the sporting regulations but not the technical ones.
The case concerned whether Racing Point had broken the rules by basing the RP20 closely on Mercedes’ 2019 car. While the team has only been found in breach of the rules regarding its rear brake ducts, Brown thinks the verdict indicates other transgressions may have occurred.
Racing Point may be 15 points and 400,000 Euros down but the “good news” for Otmar Szafnauer is that the RP20’s brake ducts are technically legal.
More from the Racing Point boss right here 👉 https://t.co/3vWObwC2Gx #F1 pic.twitter.com/qjIMsFBuL5
— Planet F1 (@Planet_F1) August 7, 2020
Get your hands on the official Racing Point 2020 collection via the Formula 1 store
“Racing Point has been found guilty [and] I am concerned they still have those [parts] that were deemed illegal in Austria on the race car now,” said Brown during the constructors’ press conference at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone.
“I think that’s confusing for the fans. How is something that is not legal in Austria still on the car?
“They claimed they had copied the car via photography. It’s clear from reading the document that that’s BS. And therefore you have to question anything else around that car.
“So I think this is potentially the tip of the iceberg, the starting point of looking at what’s happened here because I don’t think it’s healthy for the sport.”
Brown, who had previously indicated his support for Renault’s protest, suggested McLaren could join forces with a double-pronged appeal against the verdict should one be instigated.
“I think it’s thrown up a lot more questions than answers and there’s new evidence that we now have been able to see,” he added.
“And it’s something we too will review quickly and understand the appeal process and whether that’s something we want to potentially participate in.”
Follow us on Twitter @Planet_F1, like our Facebook page and join us on Instagram!
