FIA’s Mark Howard believes Mercedes did gain from Pirelli test – Formula 1 news
International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) legal representative Mark Howard has claimed that it would be wrong to say that Mercedes did not gain anything out of the private test conducted with tyre manufacturers Pirelli.
According to Howard, “It is difficult to say that Mercedes gained no benefit from the test. There is not much room for doubt that the Mercedes 2013 car was a car covered by the regulations and that the car was subjected to track running time in Barcelona.
Any running on the track is deemed to be testing.”
Although both the parties involved in the scandal talked to FIA technical head Charlie Whiting on the situation before going for the test, it was not enough for them to go on with the session, as they needed to inform the competitors.
As a result, they ended up getting into trouble. On this matter, Howard said, “What is very odd about all of this is that on the basis of the telephone calls, both Mercedes and Pirelli went ahead without getting back to Mr Whiting and making clear precisely
ultimately what they were intending to do.”
Even if Pirelli get out of this controversy clean, Mercedes might have to face some serious consequences. The worse that can happen for them would be a disqualification from the Constructors’ Championship, which will cost them quite a lot of money at the
end of the season.
The German squad was not in a position to win races with consistency in the past years, but things were finally headed in the right direction for them in 2013. Their drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have been the best in terms of a single-lap run,
but their race pace has not been the best at times.
Despite that, Rosberg has managed to win a race whereas his teammate has scored three podiums out of the first seven rounds. Both of them will be hoping that the FIA’s verdict does not affect their chances in the championship.
However, it will be hard for them to focus, especially if the decision goes against their team. Moreover, Mercedes might even start considering their future in the sport, if their reputation is hurt.
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