McLaren won't 'waste time' protesting Racing Point charger

McLaren F1 boss Andreas Seidl has no intention of disputing the legality of Racing Point's 2020 car which has been labeled a Mercedes clone by many.

The pink squad's RP20 drew the scrutiny of Racing Point's mid-field rivals when it was rolled out in Barcelona during pre-season testing as many similarities with Mercedes' championship winning W10 were noted.

Racing Point tech boss Andy Green defended the team's car, insisting that while it had indeed taken part of its inspiration from the Silver Arrows' contender, its design was similar but not the same.

• FIA visited Racing Point factory to validate 'pink Mercedes'

Green also revealed last week that the FIA had visited Racing Point earlier this year to rubber-stamp the team's design.

However, Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul - who called Racing Point's RP20 a piece of "forged artwork" - isn't dismissed a protest against the Silverstone-based outfit when the season gets underway.

But Seidl, whose team like Racing Point will be powered by Mercedes from next season, certainly won't follow Renault's lead.

"McLaren is an independent racing car manufacturer, and we want to stay that way," said the McLaren boss in a video conference with the media last week.

"We pursue ambitious goals and we want to achieve them with hard work. I am sure that everything about this car is legal.

"I see no basis for a protest. And besides, I don't have time to waste my energy on it. For me, other issues are more important - like the upcoming budget limit."

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