Racing point state: FIA did not check brake shafts in winter

(Motorsport-Total.com) – New facts in the Causa Racing Point: On the sidelines of the training day in Hungary, the FIA ​​confirmed that the brake shafts before the start of the season not checked in Australia. The responsible head of technology at the FIA, Nikolas Tombazis, has now admitted this. He had visited the team’s factory in Silverstone.

The first critical voices were heard after the Barcelona checks, after which the RP 20 is just a “pink Mercedes” from the previous year. Lawrence Stroll’s midfield team did not deny the visual similarities. However, it was always emphasized that one only copied from photos – a transfer of knowledge with Mercedes, however, did not take place.

This is exactly the question the FIA ​​gets to the bottom of the official state of Renault in Austria . Even before the original start of the season in Australia, FIA man Tombazis made sure at the Racing Point factory in Silverstone that in the winter when building the RP 20 everything went right.

Statement from Racing Point battle “very plausible”

“We got critical voices from a few teams in February questioned and we wanted to investigate it even before Australia. So we visited the Racing Point factory, “Tobazis says when asked by ‘Motorsport-Total.com’.

During the visit, the workforce voluntarily showed evidence and explained how the engineers took photographs of the Mercedes W 10 used to build the new car. This process is accurate form, as long as the workforce produces the prescribed “listed components” itself.

Now Renault has calculated against the brake ventilation on the RP 20 State inserted – components that have been used since the season 2020 must be manufactured by each workforce themselves and are therefore also part of those “listed components”. When visiting before the start of the season, the FIA ​​did not take a closer look at this area, as has now become known.

“We focused united states of america primarily on relaxing the car, not on the brake shafts,” explains Tombazis. Since Racing Point made a stringent argument for the similarities of the RP 20 with the W 10 and the FIA ​​satisfied with the investigation, the car was classified as an accurate form.

The rest of the car was “extremely similar”, but it was strictly prescribed, used to be a workforce itself you have to build and used to be able to shop – “so there were no excuses in any way work”. However, if Racing Point had received CAD information or data from Mercedes – that implies Renault with the State – that would have been “extremely unlawful”, Tombazis also emphasizes.

“That would be Mercedes and Racing Point burden very heavily, “adds the FIA ​​manager. However, that did not appear to have occurred during his visit in the spring, after all, the team’s explanation was “very plausible”. The team was able to convince Tombazis that photos could be used to recreate the basic aero philosophy.

Tombazis: ” Don’t pretend that the real battle “

” I would even say they showed united states of america how they did it all and we were happy with the process they followed. ” After the debate about the racing car of Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll did not end after the strong performances in Barcelona and Spielberg battle, the Italian also began to ponder.

“In winter we united states of americadie didn’t look at the facts of the ventilation. I don’t claim that it’s really battle. In hindsight we could have done that, but we looked at the entire car in united states of america – and the parts that are traditionally listed. ”

The brake vents also triggered a discussion within the FIA, explains Tombazis. “We certainly have our opinions on this and discuss it internally because it involves some delicate legal and regulatory matters.”

The Renault-State does not concentrate on one Part of the aerodynamics that appear obvious, such as the front wing or the diffuser – that’s what the FIA ​​focused on in February and March – but on a more complex area.

Still, the teams would have Threat would be at risk if the rulers found out that information about the diffuser or front wing had been passed on. “Then they would have gotten quite a bit, let’s put it that way.”