Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul says his team is pursuing its appeal in the Racing Point brake duct case in order to make the rules “crystal clear” in Formula 1.
Renault protested the Racing Point brake duct design after the Styrian, Hungarian and British rounds and following a hearing at Silverstone during the build-up to the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, the FIA stewards handed the team a €400,000 fine and docked it 15 world constructors’ championship points for using a design provided by Mercedes.
However, Racing Point is allowed to use the contentious brake ducts for this season, while receiving a reprimand at every race.
Renault and Ferrari both subsequently lodged an appeal against the decision, while McLaren and Williams initially indicated an intention to do so, but later withdrew. Racing Point has also appealed the decision in a bid to overturn the penalty.
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The FIA has confirmed it will address the copying issue and ensure F1 remains a championship for constructors, even noting that it will stop the use of photography and other reverse engineering techniques.
Abiteboul hopes that the International Court of Appeal will provide further clarity on the subject.
“What we are seeking since the start of that process, it’s not a legal outcome, it’s not a degradation of the relationship between teams or team principals in the paddock,” he said.
“It’s really some answers to a situation, to a precedent that has been set, a disruption that has been brought into the sport, and that’s what we’re after. We don’t think we have a clear resolution to that as of yet.
“We’ve been at the start of that process. We want to make sure we lead that process until there is a crystal clear outcome that cannot be turned around once things are settled.
“I’m not talking about a legal settlement: I’m talking about settlement in general. We want, in particular, satisfaction that the rules will be changed.”
Abiteboul also acknowledged that the FIA has promised to address the issue.
“We have indication that it will be the case – but until it is the case, in that environment we know that you can’t back off. So that is what we are after,” he explained.
“We are expecting that F1 confirms again that it is a sport for constructors. Not just OEM, but constructors that design the whole car, that create the whole aerodynamic concept, and that each car is its own aerodynamic concept. That’s what we are after.
“We appreciate that the rules are not clear, and that’s what we are seeking from the process.”