Red Bull chief Christian Horner puts ball in FIA’s court over ‘illegal’ Mercedes car

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Christian Horner has left the ball in the FIA’s court to decide whether Mercedes’ new car complies with F1 regulations. The Red Bull chief has denied he made comments which described the vehicle as “illegal” during this week’s pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Excitement is building ahead of the new F1 season, which is set to get underway next weekend.

F1 teams are already in Bahrain and have been undertaking the second round of tests to prepare their cars for the opening Grand Prix of the season.

The Mercedes car looks very different to how it appeared during the first round of pre-season testing in Barcelona last month.

After arriving on the Persian Gulf, the Silver Arrows unveiled an aerodynamic upgrade to their car, which included minimised side-pods.

The side-impact structures have been turned into aerodynamic wing sections, with wing mirrors mounted on them.

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And Horner appeared far from happy when he was quoted by Germany’s Auto Motor Und Sport this week.

“Those are not mirror mounts, but two wings,” Horner apparently told the publication. “In addition, they have built vertical baffles on top. They have nothing to do with the mirror mount.

“From our point of view, Mercedes has gone a step too far. That does not correspond to the spirit of the regulations. For us, these wings are illegal.”

Red Bull later said the quotes were “incorrect,” before claiming they were not “official”.

And during a press conference on Friday, Horner insisted he will leave the FIA to determine whether the Mercedes car breaks any rules.

“Comments have been quoted that certainly weren’t made,” Horner said. “The car is innovative and it’s an interesting solution.

“The Mercedes car looks like it complies with the regulations. It is just a different interpretation – different solution.

“There’s not really anything that defines the spirit of the regulations – it either complies or it doesn’t. That’s not really for us to judge.

“The FIA have access to all of the drawings. A design like that would have surely been submitted in advance.

“It’s an interesting concept – it’s a radical concept. So is it quick or not? Only time will tell but, in terms of its compliance, that’s very much an FIA matter.”

After the first two days of pre-season testing, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton had claimed the fifth-fastest time, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had produced the third-fastest time.

There is one more day of testing on Saturday, with the first Grand Prix of the season scheduled for next Sunday.

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