Binotto on Mercedes' trick: 'I discussed it personally with Horner'

In 2019 it was Ferrari that was attacked for their engine, now it's Mercedes' engine that is the focus of attention. Red Bull Racing has gone to the FIA to ask for clarification on the cooling of the air in Mercedes' engine, a trick that may be illegal.

The FIA has yet to rule on the matter, but it has been reported that Ferrari has also approached the FIA. Team boss Mattia Binotto explains to the Italian part of Motorsport.com if this is true. "No, we haven't, although like all teams, all constructors, we always try to understand what our opponents are doing: we analyse the images and look at the GPS data. We had some doubts and we discussed it with Red Bull: I personally spoke with Christian Horner about it, but we did not submit any questions for clarification to the FIA."

Difference between Ferrari and Mercedes

There was a lot of controversy surrounding Ferrari's engine in 2019, with Mercedes this is not so bad. The approach of the media is very different, how can this be explained? "The FIA measures came about because there were people who misinterpreted the principles of the regulations. This is no different than what happened in 2019. Why are there differences in attitude? Maybe we exposed ourselves too much in the media then and we were attacked by our competitors."

According to Binotto, it is wrong to start pointing fingers at teams as was done in 2019. "I think it's important to emphasise that what happened then is no different to what's happening now. That always happens in Formula 1."