Abiteboul: Racing Point 'pink Mercedes' like forged artwork

Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul says Racing Point has no reason to be proud of its RP19 Mercedes knockoff, comparing the copied design to a forged piece of artwork.

Racing Point's 2020 car turned more than a few heads when it was unveiled in Barcelona at the start of pre-season testing, the Silverstone-based outfit's car appearing to be a mere Mercedes W10 replica.

The pink charger also displayed impressive speed at the Circuit de Catalunya, but Racing Point tech boss Andy Green was anything but apologetic for following a design philosophy that indeed took its inspiration from Mercedes' 2019 Silver Arrow.

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Abiteboul was among those who were unimpressed by Green's approach, and the Frenchman remains critical of Racing point's design philosophy.

"They've got great photographers, that's for sure," he told French broadcaster Canal+. "Also, it's worth noting the sort of honesty they've showed in admitting they copied.

"It's sort of the first time, at least as far as I can remember since I've been in F1, that someone has been really proud of copying.

"It's like a forger expressing his satisfaction with his work. It's not worth the original work of art or the pride of working on an original piece…"

Beyond his biting criticism of Racing Point's design, Abiteboul still isn't convinced by the legality of Racing Point's modus operandi which has led to the team fielding its pink Mercedes.

"The whole question is whether it's possible to do such an accurate job that works so well solely on the basis of public information?

"I won't go any further at this stage, but it is certainly a question we're pondering."

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