Racing Point: 'Impossible' for our brake ducts to be illegal

Racing Point team boss Otmar Szafnauer says it's "impossible" for the brake ducts targeted by Renault's protest to be illegal, arguing that it has "886 drawings" to prove it.

Renault doubled down on Sunday on its complaint of the brake duct elements used on Racing Point's RP20 car, nicknamed the "pink Mercedes" for its striking similarity to last year's Silver Arrows.

The French outfit lodged a second protest against its rival, arguing that the targeted components are so similar to those used by Mercedes last year that Renault suspects Racing Point to have received a blue print of the design from the German team.

But Szafnauer has dismissed Renault's protest as "misconceived and poorly informed", and the American is sticking to his guns in light of Renault's second formal complaint just lodged with the FIA.

• Renault doubles down - lodges new protest against Racing Point

"It is impossible for them to be illegal," said the Racing Point boss, quoted by Motorsport.com.

"Brake ducts, just so you know, take a long time to design and make, they are very, very complicated, and we have 886 individual drawings for our brake ducts.

"We have no concerns whatsoever. Our brake ducts are legal, we ran them last weekend, we ran them again this weekend and we will be running them again at Silverstone."

Racing Point got a green light from the FIA earlier this year about the conformity of its car. But the FIA stewards can overrule their governing body's call when it comes to specific parts.

A frustrated Szafnauer believes his team is in the clear but only a formal process will allow him to prove as much.

"The only reason you may sense a bit of frustration is probably because I have all the information of how we designed and developed them," he said.

"And the rest of the world doesn't yet because we haven't disclosed that to the stewards. We had disclosed it to the FIA, and the FIA were satisfied that what we had done was absolutely legal.

"However, that's not how the judicial system works. It's the stewards who have the right and the power to rule. So now we've got to inform the stewards as well.

"You've got to bring the data to them, and then also explain through words on a piece of paper and drawings, what you've done. It takes a little bit longer.

"So the only reason I'm frustrated is I know what we've done, and why it's legal. And it wasn't a loophole or anything.

"It's just frustrating when I know we're legal and I get all these questions about well what happens if you lose? That's the frustrating thing."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter