'Stroll had a meeting on appeal Racing Point at Monza in Ferrari camper'
General
- GPblog.com
The saga about Racing Point's illegal RP20 is over. Ferrari, Renault and Racing Point have all decided not to lodge an appeal with the International Court of Justice after all and that is the end of it. The official website of Formula 1 has painted a picture of how things have been behind the scenes in recent weeks.
From the moment that Ferrari, Renault and Racing Point officially announced that they were protesting against the punishment, talks started behind the scenes. It was not in anyone's interest to get involved in a long, drawn-out legal battle. This would create too many distractions. All three teams are aiming for third place in the world championship this season.
Ferrari awaits Racing Point
Renault was the first party to decide not to appeal. The French team was satisfied with the FIA's promise to adapt rules and tackle reverse engineering. However, Ferrari wanted to see it in black and white. That happened in the run-up to the GP-weekend in Italy and so they too were satisfied.
However, Ferrari did not want to withdraw immediately. The Maranello-based formation first wanted Racing Point to withdraw. Lawrence Stroll had a meeting in a Ferrari camper on Sunday morning. The state of affairs was discussed and shortly afterwards Racing Point revealed that it would not appeal. Ferrari followed not much later.
Ferrari satisfied with outcome
According to the Formula 1 website, Ferrari sees this as a small victory. Lawrence Baretto writes: "They see this as a success for them. Not only have they received the clarity they wanted in the regulations, but the outcome means Racing Point’s financial and sporting penalty remains", says the F1 insider.
What's more, Racing Point will continue to be reprimanded for continuing to drive the illegal brake ducts at every Grand Prix in 2020. "While that does not penalise them financially or sporting-wise - which Ferrari believe they deserved - it is still a penalty for breaking the rules. This was important for Ferrari, because they felt it was more about the principle."