Sergio Perez, Racing Point, Nurburgring, 2020

Racing Point pressing ahead with plan to use W11-based rear end in 2021

RaceFans Round-up

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In the round-up: Racing Point’s technical director Andrew Green confirms the team will base the rear end of its 2021 car on this year’s Mercedes.

What they say

Rival teams had opposed Racing Point’s plan to use Mercedes’ 2020 rear end on their 2021 car, which they will be able to do without using any development tokens, putting them at an advantage:

It’s happening. The rules allow us to do it. We’re going ahead and doing it. We’ve cleared it with the FIA. They have no problem with us doing it.

The rules, as written, allow the teams to bring their cars up to the 2020 specification, which I think is only fair. Just because we elected, before the Covid started, to run 2019 suspension, shouldn’t be held against us. We should be allowed to bring our car up to the same specification as everyone else has got.

Quotes: Dieter Rencken

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Comment of the day

Ben Needham says the super license penalty points system should implement reduced punishments for minor infringements but increase the potential awarded for major infractions, to ensure it effectively polices driving standards:

I agree that it’s a slightly broken system but only in some regards. I’d like to see minor infringements (blue flags, incorrect practice starts and the like) given one point, while incidents such as Vettel in Baku, Grosjean in Barcelona etc… would be given something like six.

The total of 12 for a ban feels about right. If you manage to get to 12, then your driving has been suitably poor over the course of a year and you deserve to sit one out and think about what you’ve done!
Ben Needham

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Author information

Hazel Southwell
Hazel is a motorsport and automotive journalist with a particular interest in hybrid systems, electrification, batteries and new fuel technologies....
Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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9 comments on “Racing Point pressing ahead with plan to use W11-based rear end in 2021”

  1. The rules allow us to do it… We should be allowed to bring our car up to the same specification as everyone else has got.

    Bringing a car up to the current specification isn’t just about adding improved parts, it is also about removing parts that are no longer legal, such as rear brake ducts designed by a competitor.

    1. good point.

    2. These always were and still are 100 % legal. The development process was in breach of the rules, not the part itself. And RP were penalized harshly for that breach. It’s really not that hard to understand unless people are intentionally trying to misunderstand it.

      1. kuvemar Exactly. Sums it up concisely.

  2. Is Lewis considering a switch to Formula E?

    1. Yes. To a pit crew.

  3. Re COTD; Vettels Baku move stewarding still puzzles me. Black flag and 12 penalty points would not have been harsh imho. Being a 4 WDC and driving a Ferrari really blurred the stewarts vision I guess.

    1. Being a ferrari driver always clouds the vision of stewards.

  4. petebaldwin (@)
    21st October 2020, 12:02

    Yeah I agree with COTD. Drivers complaining about potentially getting a ban for a minor incident are ignoring the fact that in order to be banned, you also have to have a recent history of other incidents. No-one will ever be banned simply for ignoring a blue flag – they’ll be banned for a bunch of incidents including ignoring blue flags.

    It works the same on the road for all of us – you wouldn’t be banned for going 35 in a 30 limit but you’ll get points and if you are already on the limit because you’ve been caught speeding several times previously, you’ll get a ban.

Comments are closed.