Angry Aston Martin boss Otmar Szafnauer wants to speak to the Formula 1 board of directors about changing the aerodynamic rules at the start of the season.
The Mercedes team argues that subtle regulatory changes introduced this year target low-rake cars like Aston Martin and the champion Mercedes, and favor high-rake competitors like Red Bull.
High-rake cars drive higher at the back, while those like Mercedes lie flatter on the ground and interfere with the airflow below.
“I think the right thing is to talk to the FIA and find out what exactly happened and why,” Szafnauer told Sky Sports Television.
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“We as a team have to work hard to get everything we can back, but at the same time we should hold talks with the FIA to see if something can be done to make it a little fairer.”
When asked if Aston Martin might ultimately consider legal action, Szafnauer added: “I think we’ll get to this point after the discussion. It’s hard to predict. I think the right thing is to see what can be done . “
Aston Martin, who competed as Racing Point, finished fourth overall in 2020 and started the year with high hopes for third place.
Instead, they scored a point in the season opener in Bahrain last month with Canadian Lance Stroll, while four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel finished 15th.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner, whose team only dominated for Max Verstappen in Bahrain to finish second behind seven-time Mercedes champion Lewis Hamilton, said he was “slightly surprised” by the complaint.
“There is a procedure for introducing rules that was voted unanimously …” he said.
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“It seems a little naive to think that after sampling a single race, the rules will suddenly change after the process has been fully followed. I am struggling to take care of it.”
The likelihood of a rule change in the off-season can be effectively excluded, with such an exceptional measure being permitted only for safety reasons and affecting all teams equally.
Horner, whose team dominated from 2010 to 2013 before the introduction of the V6 turbo hybrid engine, said it was “the nature of the game” for rule changes to shift the balance by banning some developments and favoring others.
“It’s part of Formula 1 and the rules evolve and change and you have to swing with those blows,” he said. “That’s Formula 1.”
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