Red Bull has discussed the Mercedes vehicles given to George Russell and Lewis Hamilton with the FIA.
In a move that’s stirring the paddock, Red Bull has made an unofficial request to the FIA to scrutinize the front wings of the Mercedes W15 cars driven by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. According to Formula1uno, this comes as Red Bull seeks to understand why the competition has closed in on their dominant duo, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Red Bull’s Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan is set to oversee the investigation, which focuses on the flexing of the front wing and nose of the Mercedes W15 following recent upgrades. These updates were first applied to Russell’s car in Monaco and later to Hamilton’s in Canada. Notably, Russell fiercely competed with Verstappen and the McLarens in Montreal, narrowly missing out on a victory.
Despite Mercedes’ front wing consistently passing FIA’s static checks, Red Bull suspects that flexing occurs under specific load conditions during races. This isn’t the first time Red Bull has raised concerns about Mercedes’ compliance. Back in 2021, senior advisor Helmut Marko confirmed similar suspicions, prompting the FIA to review Mercedes’ adherence to the regulations.
“This is a completely normal procedure,” Marko stated. “If you believe another team is pushing the regulations too far, you need to seek clarification. We trust the FIA’s judgment and the actions they take. If there is a ruling, we will be content with the outcome.”
Now, three years later, Red Bull harbors similar doubts about the Mercedes’ upgraded W15 front wing, believing it may exhibit more flex compared to its predecessor. The FIA’s verdict on this matter will be crucial in determining if any rules have been breached following Red Bull’s informal inquiry.
Publicly, however, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner seemed unfazed by Mercedes’ advancements, even taking a cheeky jab at Mercedes’ technical director, James Allison. “Even with our downgrade, we managed to beat their upgrade,” Horner quipped. “It was a rewarding race to win. The last couple of races have been challenging, but we’ve still won two out of the last three races.
“We had a pole in Imola and matched the pole time here with a car that both drivers feel has deficiencies. There’s a lot of focus on improving that,” Horner added, highlighting Red Bull’s ongoing pursuit of performance gains.
As the FIA examines the Mercedes front wing, the racing world watches closely, anticipating the potential impacts on the championship battle.
