Aston Martin has been very vocal about the concept of “low rake cars” and how they have been significantly affected by the ground rules changes that this season will have to make. However, you are not the only one facing this problem. Mercedes is in the same boat as the British team
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But the Silver Arrows didn’t really show much disapproval. And they certainly did not go as far as Aston Martin and threatened a lawsuit against the FIA. However, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff understands why they are so angry.
Wolff suspects that it is not just anger over the “low rake” problem that prompted the Silverstone-based team to make such a drastic statement. He believes their brand identity also played a role.
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The Austrian said (translated by Google): “If you then take into account that Aston Martin is already a good and important brand and suddenly they are nowhere, then I understand that they are crazy there.”
Formula 1 F1. Bahrain Grand Prix. Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff during the press conference FIA / Handout via REUTERS
However, Wolff does not deny Aston Martin’s allegations of being more affected than their “high raked” counterparts. In fact, the Mercedes boss believes this was done to challenge Mercedes’ dominance.
He claims the FIA wanted to level the playing field by introducing the changes by deliberately weakening the Silver Arrows.
Unfortunately for Aston Martin, they too had a similar chassis, and as such, both teams have lost dramatically in performance this year.
He said, “Maybe that [rule changes] were aimed at us and her [Aston Martin] were collateral damage. “
Mercedes goes the more diplomatic way
While the German team is convinced of how it was specifically targeted, they know that fighting with the FIA is not the right solution. However, you know why Aston Martin took the harder route.
Formula 1 F1. Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna. Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy. Sebastian Vettel from Aston Martin in action during training REUTERS / Guglielmo Mangiapane
Wolff said: “As a x-time world champion, I don’t want to call for a foul immediately when a rule change comes into effect. But of course they have a legitimate point. “
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Ironically, Mercedes seems to be the less affected of the two teams. Sure, they don’t look as good as in previous years, but they are still championship favorites.
Aston Martin, on the other hand, has gone from being a potential title challenger to being an average midfielder. They’ve certainly gone back from last year to the point where they’re no longer the top two midfield teams.
Can they recover from this setback that is likely to affect them throughout the season? Will they find a way to improve their performance? Only time can tell.
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