Racing Point: 2021 rules delay doesn't mean teams can take it easy

Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer affirms that teams will not be able to “take it easy” in relation to the new regulations when factories re-open.

The usual summer break has been extended from two weeks to three weeks and has been pushed forward to March and April due to the coronavirus, which has delayed the start of the 2020 season.

The introduction of the new technical regulations has been postponed to 2022, one year later than the original plan of 2021.

In 2021, teams will use their 2020 chassis as a method of saving costs. However, teams will still have a huge workload to undertake, despite the postponement of the new rules, according to Szafnauer.

“This is an unprecedented situation - one that is changing by the day,” he said. “Right now, we simply cannot say with any degree of certainty when we’ll be back to normal.

“There are so many factors that are not under our control. With that in mind, another decision taken between the teams and the FIA has been to delay the introduction of the new regulations until 2022.

“From both a logistical and a cost perspective, this makes absolute sense. Of course, that doesn’t mean we can afford to take it easy when we return to work.

“When we do eventually get back on track, we need to be in a position to compete – whatever the regulations. There’s still plenty of work ahead and we’ll be ready to tackle it when the time comes.”

Szafnauer confirmed that Racing Point shut down its factory on Thursday evening, with the aim of returning to work on April 16th.

“As things currently stand – and it’s important to stress that this is a constantly evolving situation – we’ll be returning to work on Thursday 16 April,” he said.

”We’ve also worked extremely hard over the last few weeks to ensure that all staff who can work from home have the equipment they need to set up home offices.

“We’re obviously disappointed not to be able to race for the foreseeable future but, ultimately, we all understand the significance of the situation.

“The challenges the world is currently facing are unlike anything I’ve known in my lifetime and clearly transcend the sport, so the decisions that have been made are the correct ones.”