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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes in secret Pirelli test furore

2013 Chinese Grand Prix

Last week Mercedes AMG conducted a secret tyre test in Barcelona at the invitation of Pirelli and the other teams are not happy about it.

So much so that Christian Horner has confirmed Red Bull has lodged an official protest just hours before tonight’s Monaco Grand Prix. Ferrari has also made official enquiries to the FIA seeking clarifications over the secret test.

It’s being reported that Pirelli asked Mercedes to a private test after the Spanish Grand Prix where they would undertake 1000km of track time. Due to poor weather it took three days to complete the test.

At the time Mercedes was coming off three pole positions in a row, only for their race pace to see them drop well out of race contention due to dramas with tyre wear. Although, Paul Hembery from Pirelli says there was “no relevance” to those issues in the clandestine test.

Formula 1’s sporting regulations prohibit in-season testing at F1 racetracks unless it is part of a young driver test, a straightline aerodynamic test or a 2010-spec car is used. The issue here is Mercedes is understood to have used a 2013-spec F1 W04 chassis for the testing.

Christian Horner isn’t falling for claims from Pirelli that the test was above board. “What’s disappointing is it has been done in not a transparent manner that a three-day test has taken place with a current car running on tyres that are going to be used at the next grand prix,” he said. “Irrespective of what you call it, that’s testing.”

Hembery claimed there was little to be gained by Mercedes, stating “In reality, we were looking at next year’s solutions and trying a variety of different (things)… Mercedes haven’t got a clue what on earth we were testing in reality.”

When asked why the other teams had not been notified of the Mercedes test Hembery replied, “You know in Formula One that when you start talking about something six months could pass before you found a solution.

“In reality sometimes you just have to get on and do it.”

[Source: Reuters & Autosport]

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