The battle between Aston Martin and the FIA over the 2021 technical regulations is still raging. It all started when the British outfit accused the FIA of enforcing the regulations on purpose to affect their season.
Although F1 heavyweights Mercedes have stayed silent over the matter, they are now reportedly backing Aston Martin in their case.
According to Auto Motor Sport, Aston Martin majority owner Lawrence Stroll wants to increase pressure on the FIA. To do so, he has reportedly asked his business partner and Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff to assist him.
Wolff had claimed earlier that the rules were enforced by the FIA to reduce the gap between Mercedes and the rest of the grid. By doing so, he suggested Aston Martin were the collateral damage, because their car follows the same low-rake concept of the W12 Mercedes.
The FIA’s regulations benefitted Red Bull more than any other constructor, due to their high-rake vehicle philosophy. The gap seems to have been closed and Red Bull are running Mercedes closer than ever.
Maybe a moot point?
The FIA may still dismiss the Mercedes-Aston Martin appeal. If Mercedes had an issue with the regulations, they wouldn’t have agreed to it at all.
Their team must have studied the effects of the new rules and noticed an impact, if any. So they cannot expect the FIA to consider their appeal.
It also doesn’t help that Mercedes still sit at the top of the standings. Rule changes to benefit the non-top teams have always existed. Mercedes is still winning, so it is faintly ridiculous to suggest the rules are affecting them.
As for Aston Martin, they will have to carry out tests in the wind tunnel to see the difference between low-rake and high-rake cars. They haven’t done that yet, so their case isn’t strong.
Even if they do, they would need the support of another constructor to successfully appeal. It is unlikely that Williams and McLaren, Mercedes’ engine partners, would co-operate with them.
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