Formula 1’s Managing Director of Motorsports Ross Brawn says Racing Point has taken copying to the next level with its 2020 challenger, the RP20.
Racing Point has come under fire from rival teams over the design of its RP20 after the Silverstone-based team admitted to copying the 2019 championship-winning Mercedes W10 by using thousands of photographs as a reference.
Brawn is well-versed in technical matters having won titles with Jaguar in sportscars as well as major success in F1 with Benetton, Ferrari and eventually his own outfit in 2009, Brawn GP.
Brawn though insists copying is a practice which is commonplace in F1, openly admitting to doing it himself during his career and said his technical peers would be lying if they said they hadn’t copied a development from a rival team.
“Racing Point have just taken it to the next stage and done a more thorough job,” said Brawn. “There is not a single team in this paddock which has not copied something from another.
“I’d ask every Technical Director in the paddock to raise their hand if they haven’t copied someone else. You won’t see any hands. I have certainly copied others.
“My view is copying in Formula 1 is standard. Every team has, in normal times, digital photographers in the pit lane out there taking thousands of photos of every car for analysis, with a view of copying the best ideas.
“We used to give our photographers a shopping list.”
Racing Point can’t just forget
Brawn also gave his expert opinion on the ongoing protest against Racing Point from midfield rivals Renault regarding the design and specification of the brake ducts.
He says they can’t just forget what they’ve seen and learnt from being a Mercedes customer.
“Last year, Racing Point had access to, and could use, 2019-spec Mercedes brake ducts because they were not a listed part. This year, brake ducts are listed parts, so you have to design your own.”
“However, Racing Point cannot forget the knowledge they acquired using the 2019 Mercedes brake ducts. I think it is illogical to think they can wipe their memory banks.
“It is a tricky problem and one for the FIA experts to resolve.”
“We Race As One” is just a catchy saying to show the world “Look at us, we’re being politically correct.”
Regardless of my sympathies in this matter lying very much with Racing Point (at least so long as they have simply used photography and parts they already owned from previous purchases, and not as Renault allege received drawings from Mercedes of internal areas of the car), I do feel it is inapposite for someone holding Brawn’s current position to make such a defence of their actions during the FIA’s deliberations. Adding any appearance of influence over the resulting decision doesn’t do the sport any favours, therefore he would have been better advised to keep his opinion to himself until after the verdict. Especially given his comparatively recent involvement with the Mercedes team.
Well said Brawn, but Racing Point have done this legally
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