Racing Point’s Formula 1 rivals are reportedly unhappy with the team’s 2020 F1 car, given its incredibly close resemblance to last years Mercedes.
Racing Point’s 2020 car hit the track on Wednesday morning on the first day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the comparisons to the Mercedes W10 were drawn almost immediately.
The RP20 is almost a completely new car compared to Racing Point’s RP19, with the team following the same approach as Mercedes with its bulbous, skinny nose and unique suspension layout.
There’s a reason for that though as Racing Point’s technical chief Andy Green revealed that they have been using Mercedes’ wind tunnel and have expanded their customer deal, not only taking the Mercedes engine and transmission, but also the suspension.
“We have been working in the Mercedes wind tunnel since May last year,” Green told Auto Motor und Sport. “It makes more sense to follow their concept than to build a Red Bull.
“All the tools and test procedures in the Mercedes tunnel are tailored to this concept.”
Some teams are reportedly unhappy, claiming the RP20 is just a copy of the Mercedes W10, but wearing a different dress.
The opening morning of testing saw Sergio Perez go second quickest, just 0.062s slower than Bottas, who recorded the fastest time of the opening four hour session.
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