Renault, McLaren Not Happy About Racing Point’s Pink Mercedes

Last week, Racing Point technical director Andrew Green denied suggestions that his outfit used Mercedes’ own designs while developing the new RP20 race car.

However, he did admit that the RP20 has taken certain cues from the W10 and W11 Mercedes contenders, yet insisted that the car was redesigned by his team from the ground up, using an entirely new philosophy inspired by the reigning World Champs.

Well, be that as it may, it seems that there are a few midfield teams on the grid that aren’t too happy about the RP20 basically becoming a “pink Mercedes from 2019”.

When Autosport asked Renault exec Marcin Budkowski whether or not his team was comfortable with Racing Point’s approach, he had this to say:

“I think it’s a slightly concerning evolution for the sport. It’s a trend that started a few seasons ago and it is a new chapter in that trend. It will be for the FIA to decide whether it’s fully compliant or not. So at this stage, I don’t think I have any more to say.”

Meanwhile, McLaren technical director James Key mirrored Budkowski’s feelings.

“I agree with Marcin’s point on that,” said Key. “Of course we look at our competitors, and it’s fairly clear what is going on with some of the similarities that you see.”

From a fan’s perspective, what Racing Point have done could make the grid a little more compact, if the experiment proves a success. However, if you’re a direct midfield rival such as McLaren or Renault, it’s easy to understand why you’d frown upon laying eyes on the new RP20.