Horner and Red Bull want clarification around Mercedes DDA

The Covid-19 crisis and the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix have logically swept away the political-sporting intrigues which threatened to explode in the Melbourne paddock. Among these question marks is the astonishing steering system introduced by Mercedes on his W11. 

The device, which allows the driver to adjust the front toe of the car in real time by pulling on the steering wheel, did not fail to attract attention during its debut on the track during winter testing. And raise a few eyebrows among the competition. 

Red Bull had thus planned to lodge a complaint with the Melbourne commissioners before the torments of the world brought back the F1 to the harsh reality. What is happening almost 4 months after this false start and as the season resumes with the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend (July 3-5)?

« It's a very clever system, recognized Christian Horner, team principal from Milton Keynes. Hats off for ingenuity. Now, the essential question in our eyes is whether the technical regulations are respected. Because we are clearly in a gray area. 

We want the situation to be clarified because it will have an impact on the rest of the season. Certainly, the system has been banned from 2021 but what about the current year? These are the kinds of questions that we will not fail to ask the FIA ​​via the usual channels ». 

• Mercedes confident

Present alongside Horner at the press conference, Wolff said he was convinced of the legality of the mechanism. 

« I respect Christian's position, confided the Austrian manager. It's always good to clarify the situation. We believe we are on the right side of the line. We have had a lot of discussions with the FIA ​​on the subject. This is why both of our cars are equipped with the system. We will unfold our arguments if necessary ». 

The Mercedes team principal and CEO, however, hopes that his competitors will be able to show discernment if they ever feel like submitting a request to Spielberg officials.

« We are at the first race of the season and I understand that we want regulatory clarifications, added Wolff. Now, we don't want to end up with a confusing situation on Sunday. I think Christian will make the right decisions. Controversy and polemics around technical discoveries have always been part of Formula 1. These are the risks of the profession ». 

If we could avoid waiting 3 hours to find out the winner of the Grand Prix, that would actually be pretty good...