Mercedes’ car has caused some controversy during Bahrain testing
(Picture: REUTERS)Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has dismissed claims attributed to him that Lewis Hamilton’s upgraded Mercedes is illegal.
Hamilton and Mercedes are using a bold new car for the final portion of pre-season testing in Bahrain ahead of next week’s season opener in the country.
The new design, which has virtually non-existent sidepods to improve downforce and make the car faster, has turned heads in the F1 paddock and caused controversy.
In an interview with German publication Auto Motor und Sport on Thursday, Horner was attributed as saying: “From our point of view, Mercedes went a step too far.
“That doesn’t correspond to the spirit of the regulations. For us, these wings are illegal.”
But speaking 24 hours later, Horner denied that he ever suggested Mercedes had bent the rules.
“Comments have been quoted that certainly were not made,” said Horner. “Obviously Mercedes have come up with an extreme and different interpretation but to answer whether we think it is legal or not - yes, absolutely. It looks like it ticks all the boxes.
“As far as we are concerned, the Mercedes car looks as though it complies with the regulations.”
Horner’s comments came before the afternoon session of day two testing in Bahrain, with both Red Bull and Mercedes getting their car on track.
The morning session had been filled with drama as Nicholas Latifi’s Williams car caught fire and Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin broke down.
The afternoon was less drama filled, although Lando Norris did have issues with his McLaren when it came to a halt on track. McLaren had already had problems with their brakes on Friday, while Daniel Ricciardo had also missed testing for the second day running due to illness.
Esteban Ocon in the Alpine also had problems and he pulled over by Turn 13 before being forced to get out of his car after the red flag was waved. There was a third and final red flag right at the end of the session due to a problem with one of the Aston Martins.
It was, however, a good session for Ferrari as Carlos Sainz posted the fastest lap time. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen also had a good run, finishing second with Lance Stroll in third. Hamilton finished fourth fastest on the day.
