Mercedes tests: Ferrari and Red Bull officially protest
Ferrari and Red Bull have officially protested to the International Automobile Federation after Pirelli and Mercedes acknowledged conducting joint tests following the Spanish Grand Prix. The three concerned teams, as well as the Italian manufacturer, were summoned immediately after the race.
While it is now proven that Mercedes conducted private tests on the Barcelona circuit on behalf of Pirelli, following the Spanish Grand Prix, Ferrari and Red Bull have filed an official appeal with the FIA. Quick to react, the governing body summoned the leadership teams of Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull: Protests have been issued by Infiniti Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari regarding an alleged violation of Article 22.4.h of the Formula 1 sporting regulations. Both teams accuse Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team of conducting three days of track testing with their 2013 car on May 15, 16, and 17 in Barcelona, during the period separating the ten days before the departure of the first event and December 31 of the current year.
Article 22.4.h of the sporting regulations indeed stipulates that testing is prohibited « between the start of a period of ten days preceding the start of the first championship event and December 31 of the same year », except for the three Young Driver Test days, the four straight-line aerodynamic test days, and finally, in the context of replacing one of its main drivers with a driver who has not participated in the championship during the previous two seasons. However, the testing conducted jointly by Pirelli and Mercedes does not fall under any of these exceptions.
The FIA conducted its hearings immediately after the Grand Prix, at 4:30 PM for the complainants – Red Bull and Ferrari -, at 4:50 PM for Mercedes, and at 5:30 PM regarding Pirelli. While Christian Horner, director of the Austrian team, justified the appeal by stating that what bothered him the most was how it was done so secretly, Ross Brawn, director of the Mercedes team, assured that he had consulted the FIA before these tests and indicated that they were happy about it. On Ferrari’s side, a Scuderia spokesperson insists that if Pirelli is authorized to conduct tests, it must be with a car that is more than two seasons old: The fundamental aspect is the year of the car because if you use a current car, it must be considered an infraction.
