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Why the FIA's Racing Point verdict pleases nobody

While Racing Point blasted a "bewildering" 15-point penalty and €400k fine, many F1 teams felt it had gotten away lightly with running illegal brake ducts. Rather than providing closure, the FIA's ruling instead presents questions aplenty

Luke Smith Aug 7, 2020, 3:32 PM

Over five months since Racing Point debuted its 2020 car and sparked controversy in the Formula 1 paddock, the FIA at last on Friday had its say on the debate.

The Racing Point RP20 - a.k.a the Pink Mercedes, a.k.a. the Tracing Point - was, per the stewards ruling, in part designed by Mercedes, with the FIA detailing a breach of the sporting regulations following a protest lodged by Renault.

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Author Luke Smith

Luke Smith is Autosport’s Formula 1 reporter. Luke has been working in F1 as a journalist since 2013, initially alongside a History degree at University College London. Luke served as the lead F1 writer at American broadcaster NBC Sports from 2013-17 before spending two years as the F1 Editor for Crash.net. Luke joined Autosport for the 2020 season.

Luke is also a contributor to The New York Times for its F1 special reports, and has previously worked with Al Jazeera and CNBC, as well as hosting FIA press conferences. Outside of F1, Luke is a fan of sports and music, with an ever-growing vinyl collection, and has being bitten by the running bug in recent years. He also runs a surprisingly popular blog reviewing the often-terrible media centre coffee from his F1 travels.