Racing Point withdraws brake duct appeal

Racing Point has confirmed that it has withdrawn its appeal over the legality of its RP20 rear brake ducts.

The team was hit with a 15-point deduction and 400,000 euro financial penalty following Renault’s initial protest following the Styrian Grand Prix.

It was judged to have fallen short of satisfying design rules, using a design used by Mercedes for its W10 last season.

Citing clarifications in the rules that are set to be implemented around the design process, listed and non-listed parts moving forward, Racing Point said that it was satisfied with the progress made and would withdraw its protest “in the wider interests of the sport.”

“We welcome the resolution the teams have agreed, and we’re pleased the FIA has provided much-needed clarification of the rules on listed and non-listed parts,” the team said in its statement.

“The stewards and all parties involved in the appeals process recognise that there was a lack of clarity in the regulations and that we did not deliberately break them.

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

“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.”

Racing Point was one of the five teams that protested the decision reached by the FIA, with Renault, Williams and McLaren having already withdrawn their respective appeals over the decision.

Ferrari remains as the only team with a protest lodged officially.