Williams is a customer as well. In a way Mclaren can play both sides with voicing support for the other teams involved in the appeal and not taking formal action as part of the group. Mercedes can still decide to leave, stay or not supply engines. In the statement Mclaren made clear they do not support copied F1 cars. I will not be disappointed overall with them. Zak has angered RP management nicely lol They have to answer to higher powers in Manama!
Williams doesn't have a chance in hell to challenge Mercedes in the coming years however. Mclaren will be much more concerned if they build a ggood car but aren't allowed certain engine modes by their engine suppliers..
Sad that Mercedes have clearly bullied Mclaren and Williams to not protest so guess there is dirty washing
Mercedes with Toto (and Stroll off-stage) running the table. Welcome to Formula 1, what a bloody farce it has become?
F1 mysteriously moved Concorde agreement bonus deadline to 18th august and final deadline 31st august...only one that didn't sign? You guessed it...
This is getin out of hand, This is the time we can see why Ferrari has a veto, and how a srong hand is missed at his elm. Marchione was not a good thing but he wouldn't be pushed around like this. However, it's known that new mercedes Boss doesn't like Toto's influence too much, so he is going to burn himself one of these days. Toto and Stroll are a cancer for f.1s sake.
Claire Williams, Andreas Seidl and Zak Brown know which way their bread is buttered. It's a bad idea to piss off your engine supplier !!!
INSIDE LINE: IS IT ALL ABOUT FERRARI VERSUS OTMAR? https://www.grandprix247.com/2020/08/13/inside-line-is-it-all-about-ferrari-versus-otmar/
Do you guys realize Stroll has a very strong relationship with Ferrari? He owns a dealership and the Mont Tremblant circuit.... where they have the Ferrari driving academy..... not to mention all his vintage 1 off Ferrari race cars. I don’t think he would go out of his way to criticize Ferrari, unless he felt very strongly about this situation.
Yes, most of us here on F1 FChat know this already. Plus his son Lance went to the FDA (Ferrari Drivers Academy). Stroll Sr. wants his son in a top tier F1 team....but since those seats are taken....he's trying a more costly route to make sure his son achieves that....even having copied last years Mercedes (W10).
Thing I don’t understand is why would they pick on “legal” brake ducts that were used by RP in 2019, if supposedly the entire 2019 Mercedes was copied? That just doesn’t make sense to me.
Don´t worry: nobody understands this and it doesn´t make sense to anybody, except to Stroll Sr. and Toto Wolff.
If I understand this mess, the brake ducts were not listed parts in 2019 and were used by racing point in 2019. The brake ducts became listed parts in 2020, after RP had already used the duct design in a previous year. If that is the case, the choice of Renault to go after RP for the brake ducts makes it sound like sour grapes.
The FIA has concluded that Racing Point brake ducts are illegal per Renaults initial protest because of the time lapse.
What I find puzzling is why the FIA has fined RP and deducted them points, BUT allows them to keep those brake ducks . It seems to me that the FIA is trying to please both sides.
Are you sure that he is owns the Ferrari dealership? In regard of the "Ferrari Drivinb Academy" in Mont Tremblant, it was "launched" only when Lance was part of the FDA. I think nowadays his relationship limits to his car collection, nothing else.
I suppose the FIA could have said: "Your brake ducts are illegal and the car cannot participate in that configuration". . Racing Point would be unable solve that problem during a weekend, and that would have reduced the field to 18 cars, until they comply. Or they let them run and disqualify them from the result. It looks like the FIA has chosen the soft option, maybe because they think the case against Racing Point isn't waterproof and could be overturned on appeal? It that was the case, returning 15 points and $400,000 is possible, but a non-participation couldn't be repaired.
I have wondered if the design of the rear break ducts perhaps Are heavenly integrated with some other systems that give the Mercedes some of its extra performance and RP simply risked it because they can’t simply redesign it without compromising performance. Like maybe it’s part of a proprietary systems that Merc designed that’s above their heads a bit. Ferrari and the other teams know it’s benefit or have an educated guess and are calling foul...?