Montmeló (Spain) (AFP)

This is one of the striking images of the winter tests: the entry to the track of a Racing Point largely inspired by the Mercedes titled in 2019 sends back to back two visions of Formula 1 and its future.

Admittedly, the teams do not fully reveal their game before the first Grand Prix of the season. The "Mercedes rose" (the color of the livery of Racing Point) has nonetheless shown promise.

"We are satisfied with where we are", did not hide technical director Andrew Green Friday, when the Mexican Sergio Pérez signed the 7th time of the six days, 9/10 of the best time of the Finn Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes).

This year, Racing Point did not just buy the propulsion unit and the gearbox developed by Mercedes. The team based in Silverstone, England, copied - in photos, she said - the aerodynamic options chosen by its engine manufacturer last season, which the regulations do not prohibit.

"What we did is completely legal," said Green, which Mercedes also says.

"This is something we wanted to do for a long time without having the budget for it", he specifies, and which materialized from the moment when Racing Point started to use the wind tunnel of the German manufacturer in May latest.

"That people talk about us and that we complain encourages me", adds, a bit provocative, the technical director of Racing Point. "No one would talk about it if we were at the bottom of the pack."

- "A little worrying" -

This path is not new. Synergies - framed by the rules of the World Championship - have existed between Haas and Ferrari since the creation of the American team in 2016, as well as between Red Bull and AlphaTauri (ex-Toro Rosso).

The latter even served as a laboratory in 2018 before its big sister in turn adopted a Honda engine the following year.

The model, which recalls that of MotoGP (where most of the official teams work with one or more satellite teams), does not delight the "independents" of the paddock.

"This development in our sport is a bit worrying," points out Marcin Budkowski, the executive director of the chassis part of Renault. "It will be up to the International Automobile Federation (which lays down the rules for F1, editor's note) to decide whether this is entirely in compliance."

This development model first raises the question of sports equity, if it involves pooling research and development, and the costs it generates, which does not say its name.

But, as the sporting director of Racing Point points out, more teams could have chosen the same route. If they have not done so, it is also a question of philosophy.

Like Green, the boss of AlphaTauri sees in it the future of the discipline. "These synergies make sense, argues Franz Tost. Why make our own gearboxes or suspensions when they are no longer so many differentiating factors in terms of performance?" Asked the Austrian.

"If you look at the automotive industry, he insists, big companies are collaborating because research and development costs are very high and are only increasing. To reduce them, we should all go in this direction."

- "Proud to design our car ourselves" -

Claire Williams, on the contrary, continues to defend the heritage of the eponymous team that she manages, that of "garage owners", these private individuals who have set up their own teams to measure themselves against the big names in the automobile industry from the 1960s .

These new models are "something we are watching", recognizes the British, especially since his team is struggling financially and sportingly. "But we are proud to design and produce our car ourselves and we don't want to lose that. Having said that, I respect the way other teams run their business."

At a time when F1 is preparing to take the turn of cost control in 2021, with the standardization or pooling of certain parts, can these two models continue to coexist?

"For us, a manufacturer is someone who builds the whole car and that should be recognized, suggests Cyril Abiteboul, the main Renault team. After that, should we close the door to people who are not builders? Not necessarily, but I think there should be special recognition of those who make the effort to build everything from A to Z. "

© 2020 AFP