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Renault accuses McLaren of starting rear wing arms race
Source: Agencies |
March 13, 2010, Saturday
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RENAULT has accused rivals McLaren of opening up a Formula One arms race with its controversial rear wing even though it has been ruled legal by the sport's governing body.
"It is fundamentally clear that the McLaren wing design is totally illegal," Renault managing director Bob Bell said after the first practice session of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix yesterday in Sakhir, Bahrain.
"They have opened up another arms race, it's going to cost everybody a lot of money. The governing bodies need to be a lot stronger with these things."
The McLaren car passed inspections on Thursday at the Sakhir circuit and the team said they consulted the governing International Automobile Federation throughout the design process.
Williams co-owner and engineering director Patrick Head said that the rear wing had a slot that appeared to be fed by a duct that McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton could block at will by body movement.
"I understand that (race director) Charlie (Whiting) is saying that article three of the regulations that would limit something like that don't apply to the driver, only to the car."
Head said Williams might take another look at the McLaren system.
"It is a bit of a problem because if one car is suddenly able to gain five or six km an hour on the straight then we've all got to do it," he added.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who first aired concerns about the McLaren device, said the wing had been declared legal so rival teams would have to come up with their own solutions. "We questioned it some time ago," he said. "As the FIA have looked at it and deemed it to be okay, it's therefore a clever design as opposed to illegal design."
On the track, Germany's Nico Rosberg stayed ahead of teammate Michael Schumacher to put Mercedes on top of the timesheets in practice for the season-opener in Bahrain yesterday.
After compatriot Adrian Sutil had stolen some of the returning seven-time champion's limelight in the first session with the quickest time for Force India, Rosberg went faster in the afternoon.
The son of former champion Keke lapped the newly extended Sakhir circuit in one minute, 55.409 seconds, nearly half a second quicker than his 41-year-old teammate in third place. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was second, running faster than teammate and reigning champion Jenson Button who had been ahead in the morning.
Mercedes-engined cars filled the top four slots.
Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso limbered up for his Ferrari race debut with the second best time in the first session and then ninth after lunch.
"It is fundamentally clear that the McLaren wing design is totally illegal," Renault managing director Bob Bell said after the first practice session of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix yesterday in Sakhir, Bahrain.
"They have opened up another arms race, it's going to cost everybody a lot of money. The governing bodies need to be a lot stronger with these things."
The McLaren car passed inspections on Thursday at the Sakhir circuit and the team said they consulted the governing International Automobile Federation throughout the design process.
Williams co-owner and engineering director Patrick Head said that the rear wing had a slot that appeared to be fed by a duct that McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton could block at will by body movement.
"I understand that (race director) Charlie (Whiting) is saying that article three of the regulations that would limit something like that don't apply to the driver, only to the car."
Head said Williams might take another look at the McLaren system.
"It is a bit of a problem because if one car is suddenly able to gain five or six km an hour on the straight then we've all got to do it," he added.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who first aired concerns about the McLaren device, said the wing had been declared legal so rival teams would have to come up with their own solutions. "We questioned it some time ago," he said. "As the FIA have looked at it and deemed it to be okay, it's therefore a clever design as opposed to illegal design."
On the track, Germany's Nico Rosberg stayed ahead of teammate Michael Schumacher to put Mercedes on top of the timesheets in practice for the season-opener in Bahrain yesterday.
After compatriot Adrian Sutil had stolen some of the returning seven-time champion's limelight in the first session with the quickest time for Force India, Rosberg went faster in the afternoon.
The son of former champion Keke lapped the newly extended Sakhir circuit in one minute, 55.409 seconds, nearly half a second quicker than his 41-year-old teammate in third place. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was second, running faster than teammate and reigning champion Jenson Button who had been ahead in the morning.
Mercedes-engined cars filled the top four slots.
Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso limbered up for his Ferrari race debut with the second best time in the first session and then ninth after lunch.
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