© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
Immediately after Mercedes revealed its revolutionary redesign of the W13, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner went on the offensive saying “there are some parts that are not legal”.
After Mercedes revealed its upgraded 2022 car on Day 1 of the Bahrain pre-season test, its new revolutionary sidepod solution has been the talk of the paddock.
Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle said Mercedes’ slimmed down bodywork looks like “a bar of chocolate that has been left out in the sun and melted”.
The minimalist sidepods and inventive bodywork have also raised questions about Mercedes’ cooling system, which Brundle said must be “very creative”.
While Mercedes’ new design is believed to comply with the regulations, the FIA has warned ahead of the season that they will crack down on those solutions that they deem to be ‘not in the spirit of the regulations’.
Taking this into account it is not surprising that Red Bull team boss Christian Horner’s first reaction upon seeing Mercedes’ car, was an accusation that it was illegal.
“The new Mercedes violates the spirit of the regulations,” Horner reportedly told Auto Motor und Sport.
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“For us, there are some parts that are not legal.”
When Red Bull’s Technical Director Adrian Newey was asked about Horner’s comments, he appeared to be unaware of them.
“I should probably look at some pictures of that car then,” Newey said.
It’s a bit strange that Horner is coming out with such accusations, while his main technical guru is not even aware of there being a problem, so it remains to be seen if Red Bull will lodge a formal complaint.
UPDATE: Red Bull has denied that Christian Horner made any statements regarding Mercedes’ car.
UPDATE 2: Auto Motor und Sport insists they did speak to Christian Horner and he did say Mercedes’ car was “not legal”. He denies it.
