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Red Bull ups the ante over Mercedes design
Source: Agencies |
March 24, 2012, Saturday
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RED Bull wasn't ready to drop complaints about Mercedes' wing design despite it being deemed legal by Formula One officials, team principal Christian Horner said yesterday.
The dispute between Red Bull and Mercedes rumbled on at the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Mercedes returning fire by questioning whether Red Bull's engine mapping was outside the rules. Red Bull and Lotus queried the Mercedes wing design in Australia but FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting deemed it within the rules.
"The car has passed scrutineering so you have to assume the FIA is happy with the configuration the Mercedes car is in," Horner said.
But when asked if he would drop the issue, Horner replied "probably not," adding that it was important rival teams knew quickly whether they should seek to replicate the Mercedes design or whether it will be outlawed, either during or at the end of the season.
"It would be nice to come out of this weekend with that clarity," Horner said.
The Mercedes rear wing has ducts that become exposed when the rear wing flaps are open, channeling air back toward the front wing, reducing drag and thereby allowing greater straight-line speed.
Mercedes responded by raising questions of its own about Red Bull, submitting audio recordings of the Red Bull engine which seemed to indicate there were points during laps in which it was firing on less than four cylinders - illegal under F1 regulations.
Data analysis
However, the FIA's data analysis of the injection and firing of the cylinders in the Red Bull, and the degree of throttle opening, did not support that contention.
Mercedes motorsport chief Norbert Haug said "we are not threatening to protest, we just want to understand what is going on."
"If you are not requesting that clarification then you are not doing your job," Haug told Autosport. "This is not a threat of being illegal, it is just clarification. I am very open and straight on that."
Red Bull was playing a central role in several Formula One off-track controversies in the early part of this season.
Aside from the spat with Mercedes, Red Bull and its sister team Toro Rosso stood aside from other teams and refused to sign a letter to the FIA requesting that cost control be written into F1's sporting regulations.
Red Bull and Ferrari had also reportedly been offered special deals to take equity stakes in the F1 commercial entity as part of a restructuring that involved minority stakes being floated on a yet-to-be-determined stock exchange.
Horner replied to those reports yesterday by saying "we don't see the necessity or requirement to have shareholding."
The dispute between Red Bull and Mercedes rumbled on at the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Mercedes returning fire by questioning whether Red Bull's engine mapping was outside the rules. Red Bull and Lotus queried the Mercedes wing design in Australia but FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting deemed it within the rules.
"The car has passed scrutineering so you have to assume the FIA is happy with the configuration the Mercedes car is in," Horner said.
But when asked if he would drop the issue, Horner replied "probably not," adding that it was important rival teams knew quickly whether they should seek to replicate the Mercedes design or whether it will be outlawed, either during or at the end of the season.
"It would be nice to come out of this weekend with that clarity," Horner said.
The Mercedes rear wing has ducts that become exposed when the rear wing flaps are open, channeling air back toward the front wing, reducing drag and thereby allowing greater straight-line speed.
Mercedes responded by raising questions of its own about Red Bull, submitting audio recordings of the Red Bull engine which seemed to indicate there were points during laps in which it was firing on less than four cylinders - illegal under F1 regulations.
Data analysis
However, the FIA's data analysis of the injection and firing of the cylinders in the Red Bull, and the degree of throttle opening, did not support that contention.
Mercedes motorsport chief Norbert Haug said "we are not threatening to protest, we just want to understand what is going on."
"If you are not requesting that clarification then you are not doing your job," Haug told Autosport. "This is not a threat of being illegal, it is just clarification. I am very open and straight on that."
Red Bull was playing a central role in several Formula One off-track controversies in the early part of this season.
Aside from the spat with Mercedes, Red Bull and its sister team Toro Rosso stood aside from other teams and refused to sign a letter to the FIA requesting that cost control be written into F1's sporting regulations.
Red Bull and Ferrari had also reportedly been offered special deals to take equity stakes in the F1 commercial entity as part of a restructuring that involved minority stakes being floated on a yet-to-be-determined stock exchange.
Horner replied to those reports yesterday by saying "we don't see the necessity or requirement to have shareholding."
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