McLaren rivals facing dilemma
Formula One teams face "a wild goose chase" according to Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner in the wake of McLaren's rear wing being declared legal by the FIA.
McLaren's new MP4-25 on Thursday passed scrutineering ahead of this weekend's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, despite sporting a radical new aerodynamic concept.
The design employs Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button to close off a vent in the cockpit of their car using their legs, which in turn helps to stall the rear wing for extra straight-line speed. As it is the drivers doing the moving, rather than any part of the car which would be illegal, FIA race steward Charlie Whiting gave McLaren the all clear.
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has given credit for the idea to "a very creative and ingenious individual in our company".
However, the design has left Renault managing director Bob Bell up in arms as he declared on Friday: "It is fundamentally clear the McLaren wing design is totally illegal. They have driven a cart horse through the sprit of the rules and regulations - they have opened up another arms race. It's going to cost everybody a lot of money. The governing bodies need to be a lot stronger with these things."
The device is not as controversial as last season's rear diffuser row that sparked a war between the teams and culminated in an FIA hearing to resolve the matter.
Although it is unclear whether any protest will be launched, it will not be Renault leading the cause as they would not want to rock the boat. The team is currently operating under a two-year suspended permanent suspension from the sport in the wake of the 'crash-gate' hearing.
Horner, however, feels in light of Whiting's ruling, other teams will have to seek out an alternative.
Horner, who was the first to raise concerns over the McLaren wing, said: "We obviously questioned it some time ago. But the FIA have looked at it and deemed it to be okay. It's therefore a clever design rather than an illegal design.
"The question is, is the driver part of the car? They deem him not to be. Inevitably now there will be a wild goose chase of all the teams chasing that loophole. We have to come up with another solution. Anything's possible."
Date published : 12 Mar 2010 - 17:01:58
