By now we have all heard the case of Red Bull against Mercedes and their rear wing, as well as the Mercedes retort. And you’ve probably seen the pictures by now showing these “score marks” which Red Bull claim is aiding their rivals’ straight-line speed.
But what is new information on Saturday at the 5.38-kilometre Losail International Circuit in this contentious off-track battle is that Red Bull say the FIA will be testing all rear wings of the cars at the end of the qualifying session, in order to follow up on their questions.
“The FIA are the ones who can check these things and we’re really delighted to see that they’ve introduced a fact-finding mission here, that after qualifying they’re going to be testing these wings,” Red Bull boss Christian Horner tells Sky F1 – “There will be a pull-down test on the back of the wing. So effectively an amount of load will be added to the back of the wing, maybe 70-80 kilos, and it will be ramped up in stages so you’ll be able to measure the deflection. It’s great that the FIA are being proactive, they’re looking at it. Our concern isn’t so much here, where straight-line speed isn’t at the premium where potentially it is in Saudi and Abu Dhabi. So we’re glad they’re taking it very seriously. There’s so much at stake, and we want to make sure these next three races are an absolutely even playing field.”
It should also be mentioned that Mercedes insist their rear wing legal and it has passed all tests so far.
Leave a Reply