Teams don't understand Mercedes complaining about unfairness

Mercedes feel that Red Bull Racing are getting preferential treatment from the FIA. After the Brazilian Grand Prix, Toto Wolff was furious, but several teams feel that Mercedes have no right to complain.

Problems at Mercedes

Wolff was not happy with the stewards after the Brazilian Grand Prix. In his opinion, his team was disadvantaged. First Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from qualifying because his rear wing was too wide when opening the DRS, and later Max Verstappen received no penalty for his defensive action on Hamilton in the race.

According to Auto, Motor und Sport, Mercedes feel they are being treated unfairly. Red Bull Racing also have had problems with DRS, but have been allowed to replace the rear wing in Parc Fermé conditions  for safety reasons. At Mercedes, it turned out that two screws were loose, causing the DRS to be open further than allowed. As Mercedes had not addressed this themselves, Hamilton was disqualified.

Mercedes should not complain

Had Mercedes reported this damage prior to the session, it is likely that, like Red Bull, they would have been able to replace or repair the wing. Mercedes, however, now state that they themselves knew nothing of the damage before it became clear during the inspection.

It is logical that Mercedes, in their emotion, want to call out one thing or the other, because it is of course a borderline case. On the other hand, AMuS reports that several teams find it remarkable that Mercedes are complaining about unfairness, while they were the ones who have caused six other teams to change their wing during the season.