Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has seemingly accused rivals Mercedes of receiving inside information from Formula One‘s governing body, as the dispute over the porpoising crisis in the sport turns ugly.
Porpoising – where the car bounces up and down at high speed – has dogged Mercedes all season, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton complaining of back pain after the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The FIA issued a technical directive as teams were en-route to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix, permitting teams to add a second supporting stay to help stiffen the floor of the car.
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Team bosses criticised the timing of the announcement, claiming that the late notice meant it was impossible to make the change in time for the Canadian race. Mercedes, however, trialled the second stay during practice.
It’s that move that has Horner fuming at the possibility Mercedes had advance knowledge of the technical directive.
“What was particularly disappointing was the second stay,” he said. “It has to be discussed in a technical forum, and that is overtly biased to sorting one team’s problems out – the only team who turned up here with it, even in advance of the technical directive. So work that one out.”
Adding fuel to the fire is the revelation in the UK Telegraph that the newly appointed interim secretary-general at the FIA – responsible for overseeing the technical directive – is Shaila-Ann Rao, whose former role was principal lawyer and special adviser to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto has described Rao’s appointment as “a concern.”
Wolff is reported to have lost his temper in a meeting of the team principals in Montreal, after it was suggested he was exaggerating the seriousness of the issue in order to have the rules changed to help Mercedes.
The Daily Mail claimed that Wolff “lost his shit” in a “wide-eyed rant” at his fellow team bosses.
Horner says the porpoising problems being experienced by Mercedes are due to the design and setup of the car, and believes the rules shouldn’t be changed mid-season to suit one team.
“The issue with Mercedes is more severe, or certainly it has been prior to Canada, than with any other car. That surely is down to the team,” he said. “It’s within their control to deal with that, if it’s not affecting others.
“I know it was said other drivers have been complaining. Our drivers have never complained, ever, about porpoising. They’ve said certain circuits could do with tidying up, perhaps resurfacing in places.
“But we haven’t had an issue with bouncing. The problem is that Mercedes are running their car so stiff.”
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