Lotus has filed an official protest against the Mercedes W-Duct

The debate on the legality of the W-Duct continues in China as expected. The system was validated by the FIA in Australia and Malaysia despite requests for clarifications made notably by Lotus, Red Bull, and Ferrari. The Mercedes F1 W03 has been checked by the stewards of the Chinese Grand Prix and it has been declared legal.

The British Lotus F1 Team has therefore decided to officially file a protest regarding the legality of the W-Duct system used by Mercedes – this system is activated when the driver engages the DRS and it allows for a gain of between 10 and 15 km/h in top speed, an advantage that will undoubtedly be significant in China.

Following the deposit of the 2000 euros required for the protest, a meeting is expected to be held today between officials from the Mercedes AMG and Lotus F1 teams. The protest concerns article 3.15 of the technical regulations, which specifies that: « Except for parts necessary for the adjustment described in article 3.18 (which relates to the DRS), any system or procedure that uses a driver’s movement to alter the characteristics of the car is prohibited. »

The Enstone team therefore believes that the system implemented by the Mercedes team uses a driver’s movement to activate and thus modify the aerodynamics of the car, even though Charlie Whiting, the FIA’s technical delegate, had stated that the W-Duct did not contravene this rule.

Ross Brawn, the team principal of Mercedes AMG, expressed his disappointment to journalists in Shanghai, seeing that the debate over the legality of the system continues after three races, even though the FIA validated the system during the first two Grand Prix of the year.