The Racing Point RP20 has been inspected by FIA experts on Friday and has been cleared of all allegations suggesting that it is a ‘copy and paste’ of the Mercedes W10.
The RP20, commonly known as Mercedes Rose and Mercing Point, caused a sensation in the paddock when it was launched last February, due to the many similarities perceived in comparison with the car used by Mercedes during the 2019 season.
However, Racing Point technical director, Andrew Green, has revealed that a careful investigation has taken place at its factory in Silverstone, England.
“We don’t really know what the ground is that they are thinking of protesting about. When the car launched, we talked to the FIA about it, the FIA came round to the factory and looked at what we’d done and the designs of the car.” Green said.
“They even took the design data from Mercedes for last year’s car and checked it against ours. They did a thorough check. And they are completely happy that the car that we’ve got on track has been designed by us.
“It may have some similarities to the Mercedes, but it’s just similar. It’s not the same. And so there is no protest there.” Green added.
The verdicts of this investigation are final. It has been confirmed that Racing Point did not copy the W10 from Mercedes but was greatly inspired by it, which from a regulatory point of view is by no means illegal.
“They can shout and scream as much as they want, but I think what they’re actually shouting and screaming about is the fact that they’ve missed a trick. And that’s what they’re upset about.” Green said.
“There was no obligation to carry over a single thing in 2020, where there always had been huge pressure up until that point to carry over a significant percentage of the car, depending on the sort of financial situation we were in.” he added.
