Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team’s world turned upside down last season. Their car, W13, designed with a whole new base concept, was an absolute wreck. As soon as they put it into a test run, it generates dangerous levels of bouncing and porpoising. Moreover, as the 2022 season progressed, the porpoising just increased, which eventually made the W13 almost impossible to drive.
After the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell heavily criticized the car and also FIA for not doing enough to control the porpoising effect. Hamilton even said that it is physically dangerous for drivers to drive in such conditions. The Silver Arrows repeated complaint forced the FIA to bring in some changes, which irked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Red Bull Chief Claims Mercedes Deliberately Influenced FIA For Their Own Benefit
Mercedes dealt with dangerous levels of bouncing and porpoising issues last season. After the Baku race weekend, Lewis Hamilton was pissed as he developed back pain, and his whole body took a toll. Moreover, George Russell, his teammate, called out the FIA for not doing enough to stop the bouncing effect. The issue of porpoising lasted the whole season for Mercedes, and after the massive uproar, the FIA brought in a few changes in rules to control the bouncing effect. However, Christian Horner of Red Bull alleged that the Silver Arrows misused the whole issue to pressure the FIA.
Horner explained his point saying only Mercedes complained of porpoising issues and not the whole grid. Clearly, the issue was not with the track or rules but instead with their own car. They used their drivers as baits and urged them to deliberately criticize the issue to bring it to FIA’s notice. The Silver Arrows chose the easy route to blame the FIA instead of trying to fix their own machinery. The Red Bull chief further added that if the conditions were unsafe, Mercedes should not have even run the car. It was their conscious choice, and they were aware of what there were dealing with. Hence, bringing rule changes just for the sake of one team was wrong on FIA’s part as well. For what it’s worth, the change in rules did not change Silver Arrows’ fortune, as they continue to struggle in the 2023 season as well.
Christian Horner Hails Aston Martin For Its Partnership With Honda
Mercedes has been providing engines to Aston Martin since 2009. However, now as the latter has witnessed a meteoric rise in the 2023 season, they parted ways with its years-long partners. Aston Martin has signed a deal with Honda, which will now supply power engines to them from 2026. Meanwhile, Red Bull chief Christian Horner has reacted to the deal announcement and lauded Aston Martin for ditching Silver Arrows.
Christian Horner said that engine was not Aston Martin’s only concern. The power supplies provided by Mercedes were as strong as that of Honda. However, with engines, Mercedes were controlling other components of the car structure as well. Hence, with this new deal, Aston Martin will attain more freedom to build their machinery as per their wish and vision. While it’s an expensive move, it would certainly benefit the Silverstone-based team in the long run.
