Mercedes no longer enjoys an “abnormal” top speed on the F1 edge

The battle between the top two teams in F1 this year has been followed by a battle despite Red Bull asking questions recently. Mercedes rear wing.

Red Bull suspects that Mercedes has used a flexible rear wing to increase its top speed, and has based its suspicions on photographs in which it believes there are points. inside the end plates.

Mercedes claims it is not doing anything wrong and team manager Toto Wolff said there are no dots in the pictures in motion and claims that Red Bull is see “ghost”.

At the Qatar GP last weekend, the FIA ​​embarked on a fact-finding mission to check the flexibility of the main wings of the rear wings to see if more stringent tests are needed.

Although no changes have been made to the rules and Mercedes’s wings have passed all current tests and FIA inspections, Red Bull believes something has changed about its competitor’s top speed.

Team boss Christian Horner says the fact that Mercedes and Red Bull were so equal on a long straight in Qatar suggested that their performance balance has changed for the first time since the summer break.

“I think what we’ve seen in recent races is an abnormal line speed,” Horner said.

“I think Toto [Wolff] has tried to find that the speed of the straight line has increased, although nothing has changed, but it is encouraging that this is the first race because before Silverstone we have been able to match with their direct speed and exponential growth. Games.”

Although the FIA ​​tests conducted in Qatar and during the rest of the season have no regulatory value, Horner believes that simple monitoring of the situation is positive.

“I think I’m glad to see it’s well monitored,” he said. “I’m sure the tests put in place should eliminate any ability to get around.”

But while Red Bull believes something between the teams has changed in their relative straight-line speed, Mercedes is not convinced.

By looking at the speedometer figures for the last five races, which are the fastest of the Mercedes and Red Bull cars with the official speedometer, you will see a straightforward advantage at each race venue.

Top line speeds (km / h)

Although the difference appears to be marginal, Mercedes believes Qatar’s high downforce requirements contributed to a change in the top speed of both cars.

Asked what he thought of Red Bull’s claims, Wolff replied, “Have they shown any information or photographs of the straightforward performance?

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12

By Zak Mauger / Motorsport pictures

“There’s a less power-sensitive track here, and in an interesting way, they’ve done just a good job: the speed of their straight line with the big wing (high traction) is identical to ours. So yeah, I’m happy they’re happy.

“Let’s go to Saudi Arabia and maybe we’ll hear more comments. I can’t follow any more conversations that have been started or started.

“I’ve made a decision for myself and the team that we’re having a hard time keeping up with the rumors from this side.”

While the next race in Saudi Arabia is expected to favor Mercedes, the end of the season in Abu Dhabi appears to be smoother.

Horner believes the battle between his team and Mercedes is too close to call right now.

“I think it’s going to be tight,” he said. “The next track should probably favor Mercedes, but Abu Dhabi, with the changes made there, who knows?

“By these last races, we have an eight-point lead in the drivers’ championship series, and we’ve reduced the gap in the builders to five points. So both are completely at stake. And it’s great because we’re now at the culmination of this world championship.”