The FIA has revealed that it deems Mercedes’ engine to be legal, and that Red Bulls complaint regarding it has been closed.
Red Bull noted earlier that Mercedes suddenly had a speed advantage over their cars in recent races. This is especially true on the straights, where Red Bull’s superiority has all but disappeared.
This did not sit well with the Milton-Keynes outfit, who went and complained to the FIA regarding their suspicions. However, the FIA revealed that it deems Mercedes’ engine to be legal, and have closed the complaint with immediate effect.
“This has all been cleared up by the FIA,” Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko told Motorsport-Magazin.
“We have to accept what the FIA decides.”
Data concerns
Red Bull had the fastest car for the opening races, until the superiority seemed to disappear after the British GP. Their cars seem to be a shade slower since Hungary, and they have also surrendered the lead in the Constructors’ Championship.
Red Bull looked into the reasons as to why they were slower than Mercedes, and concluded that Mercedes were cheating using an intercooler trick. This, they claimed, were displaying wrong temperatures so that they could be faster.
Both Marko and Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner stated that they wouldn’t be able to match Mercedes’ performance unless the FIA intervened. Horner even claimed that they can’t slash the deficit by running smaller wings.
Marko, meanwhile, claimed that Mercedes was noticeably quicker, and likened their pace to the one possible if a driver used DRS throughout a race.
The FIA took in the complaint and studied it. Ultimately, they concluded that Mercedes had done nothing wrong, and closed the case.
Red Bull will now have to head back to the drawing board and address their issues if they want to catch up to their rivals and beat them.
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