Renault were recently caught running an illegal brake bias system, which resulted in both their cars being disqualified from the Japanese GP. This isn’t the first time that the FIA have caught teams trying to mould the regulations in their favour…
There is just something about the competitive nature of sports that is unlike anything in the world. Everyone wants to win; athletes that say that they are not in it to win it and only want to enjoy the game are quite possibly spinning a web of lies. Enjoying the game definitely is one of the few main purposes of competing, but winning often overshadows it. The hunger and desire to triumph often gets the best of many, who seek crooked alternative paths to the gates of success.
The Hunt For Loopholes
Over the years, Formula One has played host to many iconic examples of competitors trying to sneak over the line to gain an edge. Back in 1984, when Tyrell was the only team to run the lighter, naturally aspirated engines, the British outfit had to resort to using ballast tanks with fluids to pass the minimum weight requirements. However, these ballast tanks were emptied rapidly after the start as the fluids were released in the braking direction of the car; this saw the Tyrells running underweight for the entire race until their late pit stops.
This was when they would put the fluids topped up with lead shot and some additional fuel back into the tank so that at the post race scrutineering, the car would be deemed legal. Formula One engineers can truly be some very clever-witted at times! Eventually, this cheeky attempt by a struggling Tyrell team was brought into light and the implications were simple; they were banned from the entire season.
The Infamous Third Pedal
The infamous three-pedalled 1997 McLaren with two braking pedals for ‘brake-steering’ the car also attempted to go down the same line, only to be exposed by the eagle-eyed photographer Darren Heath at the 1997 Luxembourg GP. Albeit a bit late, the ingenious three-pedal system was banned at the start of the 1998 season and became one of the most memorable examples of teams acting extremely clever with the regulations, all with the intention of winning.
The Renault – Racing Point Saga
This brings us onto the most recent incident of a team attempting to bend the rules and trying to get away, only to get caught in the public eye. After the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix, where both the Renault cars finished in the points, one of their pit lane neighbours spotted something fishy with the Renault cars and protested to the FIA. Apparently, Force India, Racing Point the Pink Team found out about an illegal automatic brake-bias adjustment system in the 2019 Renault Car through a POV Video of Daniel Ricciardo from pre-season testing (video attached below – focus on the top left of the steering screen). The brake-bias can only be altered manually by the drivers whereas in the Renault, the system altered it automatically, making sure that the car was not compliant with the regulations.
What do these three incidents bring into light then?
Incidents like these once again remind us that for the teams involved, Formula One is more than just a sport. It is a game of great proportions where competitors are prepared to do virtually anything that they are capable of in order to gain a competitive edge. This can even include ordering one driver to deliberately crash out from a race to allow the other one to gain a strategic advantage and win it! That is the sheer magnitude of the sport. From the outside, it may just seem like twenty fast cars driving around in circles but these incidents go on to prove otherwise.
Regardless of how shameful many perceive Renault and the other teams in question should be to try and cheat their way to success, there is an evident silver lining to this – the hunger, desire, enthusiasm and passion that Formula One can stirr out of everyone involved can be deemed nothing but incredible. While the competitors must constantly be reminded of the implications of cheating, you can’t help but break a smile to see how determined teams are to win. Racing is more than merely a game or a marketing exercise for manufacturers.
As Steve McQueen rightly put it, “Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting.”
None of the media used in this article belongs to me. Credits belong to the rightful owners.
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