Ferrari will drop Racing Point appeal if FIA changes rules

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Ferrari's Mattia Binotto says his team will withdraw its appeal in the case involving Racing Point's controversial brake ducts once the FIA puts forth its 2021 anti-copying regulations.

Racing Point was fined a hefty €400,000 and docked 15 championship points for using on its 2020 car a brake design copied from Mercedes' 2019 W11.

However, several teams - Ferrari, Renault, McLaren and Williams - appealed the verdict as they considered the punishment too lenient while Racing Point itself disputed the judgment.

But Renault, McLaren and Williams have since dropped their appeal, appeased by the FIA's decision to draft specific regulations for 2021 that would prevent a team from blatantly copying a rival design.

©Ferrari

Ferrari is also willing to withdraw from the appeal process once it sees the fine print of those rules.

"We have confirmed our protest so we have appealed the decision of the stewards of the past races," Binotto said at Monza on Friday.

“The reason is that we are fully convinced that what Racing Point did this season is not right. We believe that it is against the principle of our sport, and we believe that it cannot happen in the future.

"In that respect we are asking and seeking clarity from the FIA.

"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."

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Binotto made clear that copying a component or design based on photographic evidence is part of the sport. But replicating an entire design or exploiting a rival's intellectual property should not be permitted.

“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, because that’s IP. If I would have been Mercedes, I would have protested someone copying myself.

"So I think taking pictures has always been done, I do not see anything wrong in the fact itself."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.