Delegates to the Austrian Grand Prix rejected Red Bull’s protest against Mercedes’ dual-axis steering system (DAS) before the start of the Formula 1 season this weekend, calling it “unfounded.”
Mercedes unveiled the innovative steering solution, which allows drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to adjust the angle of the front wheel fingers from inside the cab using their steering wheel, during pre-season testing in 2020.
Many of Mercedes’ rivals were known to question the legality of the system, which was already banned for the 2021 season.
Red Bull had planned to file a protest at the Australian Grand Prix before the race was canceled, and hinted last week that the controversy could arise again when the delayed season of F1 coronavirus finally began in Austria.
After Mercedes used DAS on its two cars in FP1 and FP2 at the Red Bull Ring on Friday, Red Bull formally filed a protest with stewards under two articles of the technical regulations.
At 12:31 am Saturday in Austria, the stewards issued a statement confirming that they had rejected the Red Bull protest.
Red Bull technical officials Adrian Newey and Paul Monaghan had argued at the hearing that since the DAS allows driver movement, it is a means of altering the aerodynamic characteristics of the Mercedes W11, as well as arguing that it was part of the system. suspension of the car.
Mercedes answered this by arguing that DAS is not a suspension system, and that it is a conventional steering system that is also capable of adjusting the foot angle of cars by changing the steering angle.
The stewards rejected the protest after considering the DAS to be part of the steering system, even though they noted that “it was not conventional”, and that it could not be seen as part of the car’s suspension.
“Delegates consider DAS to be a legitimate part of the steering system and therefore to comply with relevant regulations regarding suspension or aerodynamic influence,” the delegates’ report concluded.
“In the delegates’ opinion, the DAS system is physically and functionally part of the management system.
“As such, it benefits from the implicit exceptions to certain suspension regulations applicable to management.”
The decisions mean that Mercedes will be allowed to continue using DAS in their cars until final practice and qualifying in Austria on Saturday.
Red Bull has the right to appeal the decision.
.
