There was drama on the eve of the new Formula 1 season when Red Bull launched a formal protest at Mercedes’ groundbreaking Dual Axis Steering System (DAS) after practice on Friday for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Earlier Friday, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said his team intended to seek clarification from the FIA regarding the legality of the system, which Mercedes first debuted in pre-season testing in February. , and that it will be prohibited from 2021.
And after Friday’s first two practice sessions of the revised 2020 season at the Red Bull Ring, the FIA released documents revealing that Mercedes and Red Bull reps were due to appear before race commissioners at 1910 local time.
READ MORE: Horner hints that Red Bull is ready to run its own version of Mercedes’ DAS steering system
They said that Red Bull had lodged a protest for an alleged violation of the Technical Regulation, specifically article 3.8 that refers to aerodynamic influence and article 10.2.3, which states that “no adjustment can be made to any suspension system while the car is moving. “
Lewis Hamilton is using the DAS system in winter tests in Barcelona
The stewards will now decide if the car is legal. If this is not considered to be the case, the team must make the necessary changes, which essentially means that they have to delete the system.
If they decide it’s legal, Mercedes can continue to run the system, and it will draw a line under the problem. Other teams may choose to add their own version of the system to the car, which Horner hinted that Red Bull could do, after a clarification.
A decision will be made before 3PM at noon (local time) on Saturday.
Mercedes had previously insisted that the device is legal, and technical director James Allison said in tests in February: “The rules are pretty clear about what’s allowed in the steering systems and we’re pretty sure it meets those requirements. “
The protest came after Mercedes finished one or two at both practices on Friday, after running the DAS system during the two 90-minute sessions.
READ MORE: Hamilton leads another Mercedes 1-2 with Pérez from Racing Point third in FP2 in Austria
