As expected, following yesterday's Hungarian Grand Prix, Renault protested both Racing Point cars in a move that is likely to be repeated in two weeks at Silverstone.

While Racing Points insists that everything is above board, Renault insists that it is lodging the protests for the sake of the future of the sport.

Now, F1 managing director, Ross Brawn has weighed in to the issue, seemingly siding with the Silverstone-based outfit.

Brawn, who enjoyed title winning success with Benetton, Ferrari and hi own team, which subsequently became Mercedes, has a reputation for 'pushing the envelope', Bernie Ecclestone once suggesting that the Briton's legendary Jaguar XJR-14, which won the 1991 World Sportscar Championship, had "more tanks than the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge."

Speaking in the wake of the latest protest Brawn could offer little hope for Renault.

"Copying in Formula 1 is standard," he tells the official F1 website. "Every team has, in normal times, digital photographers in the pit lane out there taking thousands of photos of every car for analysis, with a view of copying the best ideas.

"We used to give our photographers a shopping list," he admits.

"Racing Point have just taken it to the next stage and done a more thorough job. There is not a single team in this paddock which has not copied something from another. I’d ask every Technical Director in the paddock to raise their hand if they haven’t copied someone else. You won’t see any hands. I have certainly copied others.

"Last year, Racing Point had access to, and could use, 2019-spec Mercedes brake ducts because they were not a listed part. This year, brake ducts are listed parts, so you have to design your own.

"However, Racing Point cannot forget the knowledge they acquired using the 2019 Mercedes brake ducts. I think it is illogical to think they can wipe their memory banks. It is a tricky problem and one for the FIA experts to resolve."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by *TestaRossa*, 21/07/2020 19:01

"Dear @Agrajag .Shadow won the court case for copyright infringement. Arrows had to design another car."

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2. Posted by Agrajag, 21/07/2020 11:46

"Dear estoril85
Remember also the Shadow DN9 vs the Arrows FA/1 back in the late 1970s
Shadow staff left to form their own team, took the designs with them and directly copied the entire car."

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3. Posted by estoril85, 21/07/2020 9:00

"it's nothing new , the tyrell 009 was very similar to the lotus 79 for a quick example. Formula 1 history has plenty of copies of winning cars. At least Ferrari don't need worry, no one will be copying that shitbox!"

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4. Posted by kenji, 21/07/2020 1:57

"I'm not sure whether to accept Brawn's explanation at face value. Of course items that appear to be superior have been copied throughout the existence of F1..but i can't recall anyone fronting up with a total copy of another team's car! Earlier on there were renderings put up, side by side, and if the RP was painted in an identical MB livery i would challenge anyone to know which was which. That doesn't mean that the mechanicals underneath the bodywork are different or not but given the acknowledgement that the suspension, gearbox and PU are pure MB then how much else is? Individual parts don't work individually but complement the overall design concept. The fact that the FIA have allowed the protest does seem to imply that they are not 100% confident. This is a very big issue for F1 as total concept."

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5. Posted by Vinodh Moodley, 20/07/2020 20:10

"I don't see why they have to investigate this now when the cars should have been scrutinised by the FIA before the season even started. They should have the details of all the cars before the first race so they should have known about the possible copying and banned Racing Point before Austria.

Besides that, I struggle to understand what Renault hope to gain from this. They should focus more on sorting out their reliability and pace and less on what other teams may or may not be doing."

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6. Posted by ZJAY, 20/07/2020 15:43

"Not sure what Renault wants. They got the power unit they advocated for, they got the cap they advocated for, they have good drivers, they have a manufacturer behind them. Red Bull and Mclaren were/are ahead of them in the same engine. They should ask for a Mercedes power unit and chassis! Still they won't win..."

Brawn: Copying in Formula 1 is standard

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