Racing Point has issued a scathing statement branding Renault’s protest of its cars at the Styrian Grand Prix ‘misconceived and poorly informed’.
Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll finished sixth and seventh for the squad, the pair followed closely across the line by Daniel Ricciardo in the only Renault to reach the flag.
Following the race Renault submitted a protest, centring on the Racing Point’s brake ducts.
The RP20 has come under heavy criticism since its launch for its uncanny resemblance to the 2019 championship winning Mercedes.
Racing Point has maintained that, while it has taken inspiration from the Mercedes W10, it is an original design.
Formula 1 has strict regulations regarding the sharing and use of intellectual property, with Renault’s protest inferring it believes Racing Point is in breach.
In response, the team issued a terse statement.
“BWT Racing Point F1 Team is extremely disappointed to see its results in the Styrian Grand Prix questioned by what it considers to be a misconceived and poorly informed protest,” it stated.
“Any and all suggestion of wrongdoing is firmly rejected and the team will take all steps necessary to ensure the correct application of the regulations to the facts.
“Prior to the start of the season, the team co-operated fully with the FIA and satisfactorily addressed all questions regarding the origins of the design of the RP20.
“The team is confident that the protest will be dismissed once it has presented its response.”
The car’s lead designer, Andrew Green, added: “We designed the car from scratch, starting from almost a blank sheet of paper – which is very exciting, because the team hasn’t been in a position to do this in a very long time.
“We’ve applied everything that we’ve learnt over the past seasons, combined this with what we’ve seen adopted by some of our competitors, and we’ve given it our best shot at optimising the final season of these present regulations.”
Racing Point currently sits fourth in the constructors’ championship after the opening two races, though the points scored in last weekend’s Styrian Grand Prix are at risk.
Its result in that event remain provisional until the protest is resolved, which could result in Perez and Stroll being excluded from the race should the team be found in breach of the regulations.
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