Last season, Racing Point caused a stir when it arrived at winter testing in Barcelona with a car that looked very similar to the 2019 Mercedes, the team it bought a gearbox, power unit and other unlisted parts from.
Its midfield rivals were alarmed by the design of the RP20, with Alpine – then called Renault – leading the charge against the Silverstone outfit by protesting after the Styrian, Hungarian and UK Grand Prix, arguing that Racing Point’s rear brake ducts illegally copied by Mercedes.
The protest was confirmed and Racing Point was docked in Silverstone with 15 constructor points and a fine of 400,000 euros. Renault initially appealed the decision before drawing a line on the matter.
Following the Racing Point controversy, Formula 1 tightened its rules on reverse engineering, banning the use of 3D cameras and complex software systems to copy competing designs.
However, Alpine has urged the FIA to remain vigilant about the massive changes to the regulations for 2022, which give teams plenty of leeway to benefit from working with their partner teams.
“Of course, the year 2022 is approaching, a massive change in the regulations, a big increase in development, a lot of performance with these cars, a very green new regulation, the advantages that you can draw from a cooperation, whether legal or less, are enormous. “Said Budkowski.
“And if there is a year in which this type of cooperation can pay off, it is this year, for 2022.
“Sure, if there’s a year we expect the FIA to have it all, it’s this year.”
Sergio Perez, Racing Point RP20, Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes F1 W11
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
When asked if the Racing Point saga could be repeated or if he thought the FIA is now adequately monitoring the matter, Budkowski said it was a “tough question” but admitted that it was a concern give.
“I don’t know what’s going on in other people’s factories, and I don’t know how exactly the FIA looks at it,” he said.
“As an independent team, we are of course not under the control of sharing anything with our competitors because it would be against our own interests.
“The Formula 1, which I think we would all wish for, in the future, is 10 teams or 11 or 12 who simply fight mercilessly against each other and are only there for their own sporting success.
“And from the moment teams have a common interest in exchanging information, that’s a problem, because that shouldn’t be the case, you shouldn’t help your competitors.
“So there are concerns, but I can’t say how much. I’m not going to blame people because, in effect, I don’t know. And I hope nothing happens.”
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