Aston Martin could be collateral damage, says Mercedes F1 boss

From Reuters

April 18, 2021

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By Alan Baldwin

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested on Saturday that Aston Martin may pay a price for Formula 1 rule changes that may be aimed at slowing down their own dominant team.

Silverstone-based Aston Martin, closely associated with champions Mercedes, has complained that aerodynamic improvements have affected their low-rake cars more than high-raked Red Bull.

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High-rake cars drive higher at the rear, while the Aston Martin and Mercedes lie flatter on the ground and restrict airflow.

Angry Aston Martin boss Otmar Szafnauer said Friday he wanted to speak to the Formula 1 governing body about changing aerodynamic rules – something highly unlikely.

“I understand the subject,” Wolff told reporters after his seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton qualified from pole position for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday with Red Bull in second and third place.

“How the rules were implemented last year, one can always question what the motivation was,” added the Austrian. “I think there is certainly a right to review, look at and discuss things with the FIA ​​to find out what actually happened.

“So I respect Aston Martin’s investigation into the whole thing. Maybe things were aimed at us and it is collateral damage.”

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This year’s cars are essentially the same as last season, with major changes postponed to 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but aerodynamic changes to the ground have proven to be significant.

Mercedes technical director James Allison said in January that the modifications, some just a few millimeters, were due to the risk that the car’s performance would be too high for the tires and some aspects of the circuit.

Mercedes has won the last seven driver and constructor competitions, with Hamilton now the most successful driver of all time.

However, Red Bull has shifted up a gear. Mercedes said its Honda rivals now have the faster car.

Aston Martin, with four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, appears to have fallen back in pecking order after finishing fourth as Racing Point last year.

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Reuters