Mercedes surprises with extreme side boxes
“We didn’t expect it,” says Formula 1 sporting director Ross Brawn of the new Mercedes.
What: Reuters
At a Formula 1 test drive in Barcelona, Mercedes is surprised with a new car. The side boxes are almost gone. While the team boss is “proud” of the concept, the judges admit to their surprise.
M“We are really proud of the concept, and now it should be fast,” Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said at the start of testing in Bahrain on Thursday. “Obviously when you create an innovation, there is a debate.”
W13 now only has small side menus. The semi-rectangular cooling inlets at the cockpit level became two narrow vertical slits to the left and right of the hull. The wing element protrudes horizontally from the hull, where the rear-view mirror and vertical fins are located.
Wolff confirmed that the FIA participated in all technical approvals as base trustee. Formula 1 and the Fia will deal with the problem with “caution”.
Red Bull denies the rumors
“There are some very extreme interpretations of the regulations that can lead to a lot of discussion. We did not expect the Mercedes concept,” admitted Ross Brawn, Formula 1’s sporting director, who played a key role in the new set of rules. “I would be surprised if Mercedes did something illegal,” Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said.
Soon, rumors swirled around the track that Red Bull boss Christian Horner had called the innovations in the Mercedes illegal. But the world champions denied this in a statement: “We have not made any official comment regarding the Mercedes car, and we will not do so either.”
The new Formula 1 season begins on March 20 in Bahrain. After the Grand Prix in Sochi, Russia was canceled, 22 races have been planned so far.