In-season upgrades will be 'really difficult' for RP20 - Racing Point

Racing Point has spoken out on its intentions of upgrading its 2020 challenger, the RP20, saying that it believes it will be difficult to further upgrade the car after its substantial upgrade planned for the Australian Grand Prix next week.

The team hopes to start off the season in Melbourne with a major upgrade to the car, while it is believed that another major advancement is planned for sometime later in the year.

Racing Point technical director Andrew Green stated his belief that this would be enough to ensure that the team stays ahead of the midfield as the team looks toward working on the 2021 season changes.

“We’ve got an upgrade coming for Melbourne, which hopefully will be significant going by the numbers – it’s looking pretty good – but beyond that, it’s going to be really difficult,” Green told The Race.

“Transitioning into 2021 has already started, we’re already well into car design and chassis design for 2021. And that 2021 resource [pull] is only growing, it’s not getting any smaller.

“It’s going to become really tough in a few months time to see where the resource can be ut on this car, it’s where we’re going to struggle, being the size of team we are. There’s certain things we have to get on with, otherwise, we’re just not going to be racing next year.”

Green believes other teams will also switch early to 2021

Green also expressed his thoughts on the team's rivals, believing that those teams will look to switch their focus to 2021 early, similar to what Racing Point has planned.

The RP20 received criticism for its striking similarity to the 2019 Mercedes W10 throughout the pre-season tests in Barcelona last month but Green hoped that having such a strong car will allow for a good start into the season and for the results to be produced throughout the season.

“If the team keeps developing from where we are now, there will be another upgrade coming for the middle of the year, but I think that would be it,” Green added.

“I don’t know how different it’s going to be for everyone else, but everyone else has got to do a ‘21 car as well.

“Obviously the three big teams can throw a bit more resource, keep a bit more resource on 2020, but we’re not competing with the top three teams at this rate.

"The group we’re competing with, I suspect, is going to have to do something quite similar [to us].”