Racing Point files a complaint against Renault
The weekend had ended well for the Renault team after a remarkable performance at the Japanese Grand Prix. But the protest made by the Racing Point team to the FIA is overshadowing this great result.
At the waving of the checkered flag, 9 points rewarded the efforts of the Renault team. Both drivers with the diamond logo finished in the points for the 4th time this season. Daniel Ricciardo claimed 6th place benefiting from a penalized Charles Leclerc, while Nico Hülkenberg secured the tenth place and the last available point.
However, it is off the track that the action continues after this Japanese weekend, as Renault faces the potential disqualification of its two cars.
The Racing Point team led by Laurence Stroll has lodged a complaint with the FIA stewards. The Canadian team is accusing the French team of using an illegal brake balance system.
For several years, driver aids have been prohibited in F1. The objective of these directives is to make the cars more challenging to drive and to create more spectacle during the Grand Prix. However, in every team, engineers are always looking to assist their drivers while pushing the boundaries of the regulations.
In this case, what is being criticized about the Renault team is the use of a device that automatically adjusts the brake balance distribution according to the position of the car on the track. In essence, a preset adjustment that no longer requires the driver to make these modifications on the steering wheel during qualifying or during the race.
Following an initial hearing between the three parties (Racing Point, Renault, and the FIA), the FIA recovered the dossier submitted by Racing Point, and it also confiscated the electronic control units (ECU) as well as the steering wheels of the two yellow and black cars. The FIA has given itself until Wednesday the 16th to study the parts of the RS19.
« Renault F1 acknowledges the protest filed by Racing Point regarding its brake distribution system after the Japanese Grand Prix, comments the French team. « The team’s representatives met with the Suzuka event stewards, but due to the complexity of the 12-page file prepared by Racing Point, another meeting will be held at a later date to be determined. Renault plans to use this break to prepare an equally detailed study to rigorously defend its position. The results of the Japanese Grand Prix remain unchanged. »
It should nevertheless be noted that this kind of protest is common among F1 teams. These protests are an integral part of the competition between mid-table teams. In this case, the French team ranked 5th in the constructors’ standings is only 23 points ahead of the Canadian team ranked 7th.
It must be recalled that Renault lodged a complaint last year against the Haas team, which led to the disqualification of the two American cars after the Italian Grand Prix.
The Renault team led by Cyril Abiteboul will have to prepare its defense if it wants to keep its 9 points earned during this Japanese weekend.
