Ferrari wants "clarity and transparency" on car copying
Ferrari hopes to gain “clarity and transparency” from the FIA over the rules on Formula 1 car copying after formalising its appeal in the Racing Point brake duct case.


Racing Point was deemed to have copied the design of Mercedes’ 2019 brake ducts for its 2020 car following a protest lodged by Renault, resulting in a 15-point constructors’ championship penalty and a €400,000 fine.
But the team is allowed to continue using the rear brake ducts for the remainder of the season as the FIA stewards said it could not be expected to unlearn the designs.
Racing Point is appealing the ruling in a bid to overturn the penalty, while both Ferrari and Renault are also proceeding with legal action as they pursue a harsher sanction.
Read Also:
While the FIA has confirmed it will clamp down on attempts to copy other cars from next season, Ferrari F1 boss Mattia Binotto said the thrust of his team's appeal was to gain clarity on how intellectual property of teams could be protected.
“The reason why we have confirmed our appeal, I think it’s because we need to seek clarification and transparency,” Binotto said.
“I think the brake duct is a point, but I think that eventually the decision of the International Court of Appeal open up a more wider and broader discussion on the carbon copy car concept, which for us is important.
“It’s important as well for the future of the Formula 1, because at the end it’s about discussing intellectual property, and I think that intellectual property is a very important asset of a company.
“If someone would somehow copy almost an identical car of the previous year of a competitor, I think the regulations should somehow protect the competitor itself.
“That’s why I think at the moment it’s important simply to move forward and understand, [for] clarity, transparency, [and] for the fairness of the competition and for the future of Formula 1 is important.”
Read Also:
The FIA’s head of single-seaters, Nikolas Tombazis, and FIA secretary general for sport Peter Bayer informed teams in the wake of the Racing Point ruling that a similar approach to designing cars would be outlawed from 2021.
Racing Point designed its RP20 car by studying photographs of the 2019 title-winning Mercedes W10 and reverse engineering the concept, resulting in an uplift in form for this year.
Bayer wrote to teams ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix to say that next year’s rules would be updated to “expressly prevent teams from using photography or other reverse engineering techniques to copy large parts of other teams' cars”.
Ferrari emphasised the importance of teams protecting their intellectual property when defending its decision not to release the details of its engine settlement with the FIA earlier this year.
Related video

Why Williams' sale marks the end of an era for Formula 1
The inside story of F1 2010's lost teams, #2: Epsilon Euskadi

Latest news
Every driver racing in the 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour
The full entry list for the 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour, including 84 drivers from around the world, has been unveiled.
UPDATED: Auer suffers back injury in Rolex 24 practice shunt
Mercedes driver Lucas Auer has suffered a back injury following a violent crash in opening practice for this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Team 18 explains Gen3 collaboration
Team 18 has outlined its recent collaboration with rival Supercars teams as they look to complete their frantic Gen3 builds.
Rolex 24: Porsche leads Acura in night practice at Daytona
Matt Campbell put the #7 Penske Porsche Motorsports 963 on top in third practice for the Rolex 24 Hours, just 0.172sec ahead of Filipe Albuquerque in the Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-06.
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 'holiday' races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week, and though it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted more just why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action.
Why new Williams F1 boss shouldn't avoid 'Mercedes B-team' comparisons
OPINION: Williams has moved to replace the departed Jost Capito by appointing former Mercedes chief strategist James Vowles as its new team principal. But while he has sought to play down the idea of moulding his new squad into a vision of his old one, some overlap is only to be expected and perhaps shouldn't be shied away from
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.