Is the Pink Panther a Silver Arrow in disguise

[Deleted member 26715]

Now that Racing Point have been found guilty of infringement by effectively running Mercedes brake ducts on their car, fined €400,000 & 15 points taken away https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/53693249 where does the sport go from here.

It's always happened, when BAR/Brawn saw a big hole in the regulations that allowed the blown diffuser it took months before the others caught up, but they did it by photographs, this is slightly different in that Mercedes gave/sold Racing Point the CAD drawings it appears.

I find it inconceivable that Ferrari did not supply CAD drawings to HASS & that there is not some data leakage between Red Bull & Toro Rosso/Alpha Centauri or whatever their name is this week.

But they (F1) are in a real mess, in that RP have been found guilty under the sporting regulations but they can still run the cars as they are technically within regulation. My logic would then be that RP are going to get the same €400,000 (€200,000 per car) fine on each subsequent appearance of the cars in this form until they change the item. Another question is how 'different' do they have to not be classed as the same.

Just another thought it appears although there has been a change of the old guard the Red rule book is still very much in force.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Mclaren and Ferrari are saying they're going to appeal the FIA decision.

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/941363/1/ferrari-and-mclaren-set-appeal-racing-point-f1-verdict

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Mclaren and Ferrari are saying they're going to appeal the FIA decision.

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/941363/1/ferrari-and-mclaren-set-appeal-racing-point-f1-verdict

I can understand Mclaren, Renault, or any of the other teams but Ferrari, do they really want to stir things up after last year?

Also interesting that they took the took the 15 points off RP, but didn't disqualify the cars, would Williams now be in the points had they disqualified them, that could be a huge boost for them if they could secure a point.

 

[Drago]

Its just a big gap in the regulations. Last year that information sharing was legal and they were already in possession of it - they can no more unlearn it any more than I can unlearn to ride a bicycle.

The complaint was only partially upheld. The front brake ducts were deemed to be legal, a unique design. The rears, however, were somewhat different but still seemed to somehow of benefitted from their knowledge of Mercedes articles. Well, is it a copy or not? The Marshal's are saying it its, but in the other breath they're saying it's a different design.

The FIA themselves are saying there is no infringement and had previously advised Racing Point to that effect, but their own rules don't allow them to interfere with the Marshals. The rights holders have themselves already stated that the FIA had long ago told them there was no infringement, but the Marshals are quite literally a law unto themselves, which is probably why Renault very cleverly complained to them and not the technical board at the FIA.

I can't see Mercedes wilfully sharing information. They're so strict that when Racing Point go to Brackley to use the Mercedes wind tunnel there are no Mercedes staff on site at all other than the security guards on the gate. If they're that strict, why would then then pass Racing Point technical data? I think RP have done no more than they have said they have - eyeballed things, analysed photos and cribbed the design that way. Every team - including Renault, who have their own staff photographers for that purpose - do the same, but Renault were happy to let it pass when the other teams weren't doing it as well as they were. When another team is suddenly better at the game than them they start whinging, which is the most unsportsmanlike of behaviour.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I think basically what Racing Point did was break the 11th commandment, they got found out. Everybodies looking for an edge, an advantage, they're all looking at the other teams cars trying to figure out what they're doing different to them and trying to work out if they can get an advantage by copying or coming up with their own version.