Renault used brake system for 'many years' before it was deemed illegal

Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul has revealed that the team used its now illegal brake bias system for many years. 

Renault was disqualified from the Japanese Grand Prix after the stewards found that its brake system was a driver aid, breaching regulations that state the driver must drive the car "alone and unaided".

Racing Point launched a protest against Renault in Suzuka, which led to the disqualification - however Abiteboul says that the team has been using the system for "many years".

“I don’t want to go into the details, but it’s not from this season. It’s not from this season, it’s from before," he told media including GPToday.net in Mexico.

“I agree that it’s a driver aid just like we said before. A number of things are driver aids, so you need also to accept that there is an element of subjectivity.

"It’s been used since so many years that we never thought that it could be put into question until what happened recently.”

Abiteboul admitted that he has fears that the complexity of the regulations means that sometimes they can contradict themselves, as the team was found guilty of breaking sporting regulations despite being reported by Racing Point for breaching the technical rules.

“It was important for us to get across the message that the car is legal in accordance to the technical regulation,” Abiteboul affirmed.

“But we also recognise that you need to comply not just with one set of regulations, but with all sets of regulations: Technical, sporting, tomorrow there will be the financial regulations.

“So as Formula 1 is evolving, regulations are getting more and more complex. Sometimes they can also even contradict themselves, that’s maybe one of these cases that we are sort of facing.

“But a sporting regulation is something that is much more subjective, in particular in the context of that Article 27.1 on driver aids.

"We do not deny that it’s a form of a driver aid, not to make the car faster, but to reduce the workload of the drivers. So that was always going to be a bit of a subjective assessment as to how far it’s really aiding the driver and whether it’s acceptable or not.

“The stewards have judged that it’s not acceptable. So be it. We put that behind. For me, it’s harsh on the team. It’s also even harsher on drivers.

"I think it’s a very poor recognition of what they are doing. It’s shedding a negative light on what they are doing, the way that they are performing in the car.

"I can almost see people on some blogs thinking that the car is braking automatically which is clearly not happening."