Red Bull washes its hands of Mercedes suspicions: "Total rubbish"

Christian Horner is not happy with Mercedes' accusations against Red Bull Racing. The Milton Keynes-based team boss denies that the floor of the RB18 was not developed in the spirit of the regulations. Mercedes, however, is of a different opinion and seems pretty sure.

Not long ago, it was reported that the FIA, during its investigation into porpoising, had found that some Formula One teams had made the rear of the floor more flexible than was intended by the regulations. Why was this allowed? The rules ensured that the resistance of the floor was tested, but this was not the case for the entire board. Some teams would have taken advantage of this.

Mercedes accuses Red Bull and Ferrari

The FIA has now tightened the rules and at Mercedes they seem convinced that Red Bull Racing and Ferrari have been affected. Since the Silverstone Grand Prix the gap between Mercedes and the two top teams has narrowed considerably. This is partly due to a successful update package, but according to George Russell and Toto Wolff it is also due to stricter regulations.

The Mercedes team boss hinted: "Nobody had an idea until the FIA brought it up in the last Technical Advisory Committe. Which was to a great surprise of all the teams because what’s in the regulations, and what was the intent of the regulations, it’s pretty clear. There is no argument why that could deflect more than what’s in the regs." So Red Bull would have found a loophole.

Horner knows nothing

At Red Bull, however, they wash their hands of the matter. "Total, total rubbish. The floor… I think we’re getting issues mixed up here," Horner is clear in front of the Sky Sports camera. The Austrians have no concerns whatsoever about their floor. "I mean, I don’t know. Maybe he’s referring to… I don’t know, cars that are around him at the moment. I’ve no idea but absolutely no issues or concerns on our floor.”