Since the beginning of this season, Red Bull and Mercedes have been running around each other’s cars with magnifying glasses, sniffing every tiny detail. And the latest story seemed to have attracted the duo’s former rival team, Ferrari.
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First, it was Mercedes who blamed Red Bull for using flexible rear wings in Barcelona, which may give their drivers much better straight-ahead speed.
Barely weeks later, Red Bull fired back and raised allegations about the “flexible front wing” of Mercedes. Then came the tire pressure controversy in Baku, but after that incident it looked like the two parties had decided to end the off-track war and give their respective legal departments respite.
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But it wasn’t until the Turkish Grand Prix that another controversy blossomed. Red Bull caught something fishy in the back of Mercedes cars; the rear suspension. According to Red Bull, the wishbone moved upwards, which tends to offer a clear advantage over medium-fast corners.
“What we saw in Turkey was an extreme version of what is normally done.“, Said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Is Mercedes in trouble amid the latest Red Bull allegations?
Absolutely not! Mercedes is within the playing fields of FIA rulebook and of course, as we all know, the Brackley teams are safe players who often look for loopholes and take full advantage of them. Well, although that doesn’t apply to this case, Formu1a.uno has an explanation for the recent Red Bull allegations.
Apparently the camera on the body succeeded in capturing what was really going on in the rear of the Mercedes. Yes, to the naked eye it looks like the rear wishbones are moving up in medium-fast corners. But in reality it is not.
Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport driver Lewis Hamilton (44) from Team Great Britain leads Red Bull Racing Honda driver Max Verstappen (33) from Team Netherlands at the start of the United States Grand Prix race on the Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Instead, the entire rear lowers towards the asphalt, which is purely aerodynamic. That dynamic rear end wasn’t present on the COTA, however, as Mercedes decided to add stiffness to tackle the brutal first sector.
But Turkey’s dominance might as well make a comeback in Jeddah, and Mercedes are the favorites to win the debut race.
Ferrari denies that Mercedes’ latest update is illegal
Red Bull eventually confirmed that they would not protest against Mercedes’ rear suspension as they believe it is not illegal. “It doesn’t seem to us to be an illegal practice,” admitted Horner. And soon the current season’s P3 contender, Ferrari, also joined Red Bull to support Mercedes’ rear end.
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Formula 1 F1 – Russian Grand Prix – Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia – September 26, 2021 Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto is seen wearing a protective face mask REUTERS / Maxim Shemetov before the race
Ferrari assumed that the rear suspension behavior of the Mercedes car was a purely mechanical property, so it was absolutely legal. Overall, Red Bull fears that Mercedes could see a strong end to the season amid the races in the Middle East.
And their desperation to stop the soaring defending champion can be clearly seen. But since each of her steps fails, all hope now rests on Max Verstappen. Can the Dutchman be the one to end Mercedes’ reign in Formula 1?
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View history: Street cars inspired by F1 technology
The post Ferrari joins the Mercedes rear suspension debate amid recent Red Bull F1 allegations first appeared on monter-une-startup.
