Racing Level is relaxed about FIA copying ban: “Has no influence”

(Motorsport-Full.com) – In the “Copygate” scandal, Racing Level was not only sentenced to a hefty fine and lost 15 Championship points. The FIA ​​has also announced that it will tighten the regulations 2021 to prevent the copying of vehicle parts from competitors to prevent and to prevent the groups from recreating other constructions.

Racing Level has appealed against the penalty to the FIA’s International Court of Appeal . Changed into as soon As the said rule change is concerned, team boss Otmar Szafnauer sees no impact on the business model of his own team.

“I don’t think that this will change our business model at all. We are not that hardest hit team. We have 26 employees. The reason for that we don’t like some of the bigger Groups 700 or 800 is due to the fact that we have no in-house production “, explains Szafnauer the differences.

Szafnauer: New rules “absolutely no grief”

“But if you just compare us with everyone else in the areas of children, development and aero personnel, we are the same. We are set up in the same way as the big groups. So that has no effect. We were always a designer of them Days from Jordan to those of Racing L evel and everywhere in between. “

The team is accordingly able to design, develop and construct all components itself. The rule adjustment does not change anything: “If the rules become clearer, we will stay within the limits of these rules. Absolutely no grief.”

Racing Level has a close technical partnership with Mercedes and sources some unlisted parts that they do not design themselves. Therefore – according to their own explanation – the Mercedes design concept was followed. Until 2021 the team will continue to work with the RP 20 drive to save costs in the corona crisis.

Ferrari as the last competitor still in appeal

2022, if the big amendment to the rules takes effect, the team based in Silverstone will then have to design their own car from scratch . The last word in the “Copygate” scandal has not yet been spoken. Originally, in addition to Racing Level itself, four opposing groups had appealed against the judgment.

McLaren and Williams withdrew them after they were convinced of the assurances of the FIA ​​that they would crack down on the copying of cars in the future . Renault also recently started to withdraw. How Ferrari will react is still open. At last it was said that one wanted to gain “clarity and transparency” about the rules.