Red Bull's Christian Horner says rivals will have to copy Mercedes wing concept
Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner believes all of Mercedes' rivals will now be forced to copy its DRS-assisted rear wing F-duct, now that the FIA has confirmed it is happy with the concept
Although some of Mercedes' rivals were unsure about the legality of the device, which helps boost straight-line speed even more when DRS is activated, the FIA's Charlie Whiting said on Thursday there were no issues.
And Horner, whose Red Bull Racing team is already well advanced in developing its own version, thinks that all teams must now invest in working on similar projects.
"I think the intent of the regulation was to eliminate the use of F-ducts," said Horner when asked by AUTOSPORT about the rear wing situation. "If a team has found a creative solution to circumnavigate that rule, then it is ultimately down to the FIA.
"Inevitably if a team has found a route around, then it is a route that other teams will have to follow - and obviously there is cost involved in that. The question [of legality] is better proposed to the FIA than to us, and we are not totally aware of what the other teams are doing at the moment."
Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn said he had no doubts that the design was completely within the regulations.
"We have a system and we don't believe there is anything contentious about it," he said when asked about it by AUTOSPORT. "Whether we are the first or not the first to have such a system I don't know. But what the system is, I am not going to explain.
"We are very comfortable with what we are doing, and everyone is looking to push the boundaries all the time. We will see over the next few months how it develops, but if teams feel it is an attractive idea that we have got, then it will proliferate on other cars. We don't see it anywhere else, or they've concluded it is not worth having - but I am not going to say what it is."
Brawn also said there was no way that F-ducts could have been banned, because there is no official definition of what one is.
"It is not a debate," he said. "What is an F-duct? People talk about an F-duct but I don't actually know what an F-duct is. And if you ask the FIA what is an F-duct they don't know. So, what we are doing we are completely comfortable and we believe the FIA is happy with, so we will see."
Mercedes F1 team's rear wing concept deemed legal by FIA
Jenson Button says he feels in a perfect position to fight for second F1 title at McLaren
Las Vegas approves plan to shut Strip for F1 race until 2032
Officials in Las Vegas have approved a plan to shut the Strip for the Formula 1 grand prix for the next 10 years as they eye a “lifetime in partnership.”
Porsche boss “as surprised as anyone” over Gulf-Williams F1 social media frenzy
Porsche’s head of motorsport Thomas Laudenbach found it “funny” that streamlining its Instagram channels caused a Formula 1 social media speculation frenzy last month.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
Why Alfa Romeo has kept its blade roll hoop on 2023 F1 car
The Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team has retained its unique blade roll hoop for the C43 but designed it to withstand load tests that the FIA will introduce in 2024.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
How the last Sauber-built Alfa offers F1 2023 evolution clues
Alfa Romeo has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal a new car for 2023, in addition to a fresh livery. This offered a first look at some of the understated changes produced by the revised regulations, along with points of convergence in the second year of the ground effect rules
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.