Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has said the Scuderia is prepared to withdraw its appeal against Racing Point if the FIA is able to guarantee that it will no longer be possible to copy other cars in a similar fashion in the future.
“If, let me say, regulations will be put in place, or a technical directive for the future in 2021, where we are pretty sure it will not be possible to copy, we are ready to withdraw our appeal,” he said.
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Binotto added that they are still “asking and seeking clarity from the FIA” with regards to the rules surrounding car copying in Formula One.
However, he explained that he sees no issue with seeking inspiration from other cars and using photographs to adopt similar designs for certain components.
“Looking at competitors, trying to understand what they do, trying to study their car, has been part of F1 history. I do not see anything bad in that.
“I think to copy an entire design, that’s a different experience [case], because that’s IP [intellectual property].
“If I would have been Mercedes, I would have protested someone copying myself [our car].
“So I think taking pictures has always been done, I do not see anything wrong in the fact itself,” he added.
Last month, the FIA fined Racing Point and deducted them 15 Constructors’ Championship points after it determined they had illegally copied the rear brake ducts of the 2019 Mercedes F1 car.
The team swiftly appealed the decision.
A few other teams also filed appeals as they believed the penalty wasn’t harsh enough and because they wanted further clarification on what is and isn’t allowed.
Ferrari is the only remaining team which is yet to formally withdraw its appeal.
With the Scuderia now saying it will also withdraw its appeal once it has the necessary assurances from the FIA that this won’t happen again, it seems the Racing Point Copygate saga is finally coming to a close.
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