Racing Point saga ends as Ferrari withdraws appeal

The saga surrounding the Racing Point RP20 brake ducts has come to an end after Ferrari confirmed it has withdrawn its appeal over the penalty dished out to the team.

Racing Point was fined EUR 400,000 and docked 15 constructors’ championship points after stewards ruled it did not own the intellectual property for the rear brake ducts it ran at the Styrian Grand Prix.

The ruling was handed down ahead of the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix in early August.

Five teams immediately announced an intent to appeal, namely Renault, McLaren, Williams, Ferrari, and Racing Point itself.

Over the weeks since, Williams, McLaren, and Renault all announced they had either not submitted a protest or withdrawn it.

It left Ferrari as the only team left seeking further punishment, though team boss Mattia Binotto had stated heading into the Italian Grand Prix that it would withdraw its protest if there was greater clarity in the regulations.

That has been forthcoming and following Sunday’s race the Scuderia confirmed its protest has been withdrawn.

“In recent weeks, the collaboration between FIA, F1 and the teams has produced a series of acts – amendments to the 2021 technical and sporting regulations, approved by the F1 Commission and the FIA

World Motor Sport Council, and technical directives – which clarify the responsibilities of each championship participant in the design of the components of a single-seater and implement specific monitoring procedures to ensure that both the letter and the spirit of the regulations are fully respected,” a statement from Ferrari said.

“Scuderia Ferrari expresses its appreciation for the timeliness with which the FIA and F1 have effectively tackled a fundamental aspect of the DNA of this highly competitive sport.”

Racing Point subsequently confirmed that it has withdrawn its own protest, bringing an end to the saga which dominated the first part of the 2020 Formula 1 season.

“Now that the ambiguity around the regulations has been settled, we have decided to withdraw our appeal in the wider interests of the sport,” Racing Point acknowledged in a statement.

“This issue has been a distraction for us and the other teams, but now we and everyone else can get back to focusing solely on what we’re all here to do: racing hard and providing excitement and entertainment for the millions of F1 fans around the world.”