The teams must stop collaborating with each other according to Alpine

2022 is approaching quickly and so are the new regulations. Teams could take advantage of this to collaborate at the dawn of this new era. Alpine wants F1 to be everywhere to check and not repeat the Racing Point case in 2020.

Remember, last year, Racing Point was making headlines with a car that strongly resembled the 2019 Mercedes. It had purchased a gearbox, a power unit, and some unlisted parts. The two Racing Points were then surprising the other midfield teams. They were competing for third place in the standings. Alpine, formerly Renault, decided to alert the FIA, pointing out that the rear brake ducts of the car were copied from Mercedes. Several other teams such as Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren had followed suit.

This copy was found to be illegal and Racing Point received a fifteen-point penalty in the constructors’ standings, in addition to a 400,000 euro fine. If Renault had tried to appeal the decision, the French team ultimately chose to move on from the matter. Following this 2020 saga, F1 has therefore decided to tighten the rules on engineering, by prohibiting the use of 3D cameras and complex software systems to copy rival designs.

But for Alpine, this is not enough. As we approach 2022, regulatory changes may offer teams the opportunity to collaborate with each other. Macin Budkowski, Alpine’s executive director, wants the FIA to remain vigilant.

« It is clear that with the approach of 2022 and a massive regulatory change, a great development slope and a lot of performance gained on these cars, the benefits you can draw from collaboration, whether legal or not, are enormous. If there is one year when this kind of collaboration can pay off, it is certainly for 2022. The FIA must be everywhere.

Alpine wants a ruthless fight

Sometimes, certain teams can help each other. For Alpine, this is a problem. The teams are fighting for important points for the end of the championship. Budkowski prefers that teams follow their own interests instead of sharing information.

« I think that the Formula 1 we would all like to see is at least 10 teams fighting ruthlessly and just there for their own sporting success. From the moment the teams have a common interest in exchanging information, it’s a problem. You shouldn’t help your competitors. »

Regarding a case similar to that of Racing Point could happen, Budkowski still has concerns even though the FIA remains attentive to this issue.

There is concern, but I can’t say to what extent. I’m not going to accuse people because I don’t know. And I hope nothing is happening.