SPORTS
Mercedes had argued the test was carried out by Pirelli, who are not a competitor in the championship, and they participated in good faith after verbal assurances from the FIA's technical head Charlie Whiting.
Formula One's governing body must lay down the law on testing because a punishment handed out to Mercedes last week was too lenient to deter rule-breakers, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said on Wednesday.
"They've deemed it illegal to test but the sanction for doing that test doesn't in our opinion fit the crime," he told Reuters in his office at the Red Bull factory in central England. "I think we need further clarity from the FIA to clear up what is and isn't permitted."
A tribunal in Paris reprimanded Mercedes, the team of 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton, and ordered them to miss a three-day young-driver test next month for taking part in a 1,000-km Pirelli tyre test in Spain in May with their 2013 car and current race drivers.
Mercedes had argued the test was carried out by Pirelli, who are not a competitor in the championship, and they participated in good faith after verbal assurances from the FIA's technical head Charlie Whiting.
The rules ban testing with current cars during the season and the sanction was mocked by rivals Ferrari, who had joined champions Red Bull in protesting against Mercedes, as little more than a light 'rap across the knuckles'. "The verdict was, I believe, right.
They found them (Mercedes) guilty of breaking the sporting regulations and the sporting code," said Horner. "What is slightly confusing is the leniency of the penalty," added the Briton, speaking as his championship-leading team prepared for a track battle with Mercedes in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend.
"The problem with the penalty such as the one Mercedes have been given is that it is not a particularly strong deterrent to break the sporting regulations. I should think it was met with a huge sigh of relief at Brackley (the Mercedes factory)."
The Times newspaper published an interview with Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone on Tuesday in which the Briton, on being told the tribunal's verdict last Friday, replied: 'Just a reprimand is it? That's great'. It also said a relieved Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff had called and told Ecclestone he would buy dinner at Silverstone.
Mercedes principal Ross Brawn said on Tuesday that the penalty was 'pretty severe' and more significant for his team than rivals were suggesting, but Horner questioned that and said there should have been more of a sporting penalty. "Yes, it's probably annoying for them to miss it (the young-driver test), but it pales into insignificance compared to the benefit you would see from running your race drivers around a race track for 1,000 kilometres on a circuit that has been rubbered in two days after a grand prix weekend," said the Red Bull principal.
"You don't test with young drivers over the winter for a reason. You have a limited amount of test mileage with your cars and you choose to put your race drivers in because they give you the most relevant feedback." Horner also questioned Ferrari's use of a 2011 car in a separate Pirelli test in Barcelona before the Spanish Grand Prix, which the Italian team then won.
"The most important thing moving forward is to get some kind of clarity on what you can and can't do, not just with the 2013 car, but also the 2011 car and tyre testing in general," he said. "Ferrari, within the regulations, ran that car. But is it right for a competitor to be doing over 1,000 kilometres of testing on tyres you are potentially racing with in the heat of a championship battle?"
Asked whether a win for Mercedes this weekend would be 'tainted' by what had happened, Horner avoided a direct reply. He pointed out that at the Spanish Grand Prix, Mercedes had locked out the front row in qualifying and then sunk in the race with their cars suffering from high tyre wear.
"The very next grand prix (after the test) they had one of the lowest degradations. That might purely be coincidence, and I'm sure the circuit (Monaco) lends itself more to that," he said. "But in Montreal (the race after Monaco), they didn't experience the tyre issues they previously experienced, so let's see."
After Narayana Murthy's Infosys, Ratan Tata’s TCS makes BIG announcement, set to issue...
Auspicious Start for 'Jatadhara': Mahurat ceremony held in Hyderabad
Kirill Yurovskiy: How to Build a Sustainable Fashion Brand in the UK
Bad news for Jhunjhunwala as the company loses Rs..., stock goes down by...
Audi launches Audi RS Q8 2025 in India: Know price, specifications and unique features
The Power of Ayurveda: Dr Shyam's Ayurveda Leads the Wellness Revolution in Dubai
15 Crucial Factors to Consider Before Choosing MBBS in Georgia 2025: Education Vibes
Narayana Dominates JEE Main 2025 Session 1 with Exceptional Results
Karan Johar says Yash Johar was 'heartbroken' when Amitabh Bachchan's... flopped: 'He believed...'
Meet Acharya Indravarman: The best astrologer in Bengaluru & Karnataka
How to increase your chances of getting a personal loan
BIG win for Mukesh Ambani, Reliance beats Apple, Nike to become....
Ex-star cricketer, wife buy luxury apartment for Rs 110000000, it is located in...
How a name change caused makers of Bira beer to lose hundreds of crores; know what happened
The Power of Networking: How IFERP memberships open doors to global opportunities for universities
India's Got Latent row: Maharashtra Cyber Cell refuses Samay Raina's special request to...
Mukesh Ambani's wife Nita Ambani makes passionate pitch for Olympics 2036, says 'India will...'
Jyotiraditya Scindia makes BIG announcement on 6G, claims internet speed will be...
Meet man, who was once member of MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings, now works as a bus driver
Did Virat Kohli get special food delivery amid BCCI's 'no personal chef' rule? Report claims...
Gautam Adani's BIG move in space sector, Adani-backed firm among three finalists in India's...
New India Co-op Bank: RBI uncovers massive fraud of Rs 122 crore; know what’s the case
Shakira hospitalised due to abdominal pain, apologises to fans for cancelling Peru concert
South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron of A Brand New Life fame found dead at 24
'Life-threatening cold' ALERT in US as Polar Vortex, snow, floods grip America: What does that mean?
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi, who is better? 66 per cent of former footballers believe...
Champions Trophy 2025: No Indian flag in Lahore Stadium sparks controversy ahead of tournament
After strong tremors in Delhi-NCR, 4.0 magnitude earthquake jolts Bihar's Siwan
Delhi-NCR earthquake: Netizens react with hilarious memes amid 4.0 magnitude tremors, check here
BAFTA: Payal Kapdia's All We Imagine As Light faces another disappointment, films loses to...
Student paraglides to college after getting late for exam, netizens react, watch viral video
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu issues BIG warning to Hamas: 'Gates of hell will...'
Delhi-NCR Earthquake Today: Tremors of magnitude 4 jolt Delhi and adjoining areas
This film has broken world box office records, not Hollywood, Bollywood but...
Meet Satyam Pandey who got high-paying job offer, not from IIM, NIT, IIIT, his annual salary is…
Gurgaon couple reunites with lost dog after three-month search in Agra
Meet man, IIT graduate, who topped UPSC exam in third attempt, he is from...
Noida authority takes BIG action against promoters of 2 housing projects, as realty firm fails to...
WPL 2025: Ashleigh Gardner, Deandra Dottin star as Gujarat Giants beat UP Warriorz by 6 wickets
This city is the coldest, darkest and most polluted in the world, tourists are banned here due to...
New Fastag rules from today: Users may incur additional charges if...; check details
Inside Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan's son Jeh's mario-themed birthday bash, watch
Meet Indian genius, who got high-paying job offer, not from IIT, IIM, his annual salary is Rs…
Shoaib Ibrahim gifts new house to his mother-in-law, Dipika Kakar's mother gets emotional
Deepika Padukone joins Kartik Aaryan, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff at Mumbai event; see viral photos
Man wanted in Canada's biggest gold heist found living in THIS Indian city, he is...
'Free Samay Raina': Badshah shouts at his concert in Gujarat
Amitabh Bachchan's son-in-law Nikhil Nanda faces legal trouble, FIR filed against businessman for...
'Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli...': R Ashwin lambasts 'superstar culture' in Indian cricket
Bombay HC to hear PIL on Sushant Singh Rajput's death, actor's father says...
Ajay Devgn's absence from Kajol's Valentine's Day post sparks speculation: 'Kalesh chal raha hai'
Anil Ambani-led company's loss widens to Rs 3298 crore in just...; its business is...
Premanand Maharaj's morning yatra set to resume after..., it was stopped because...
Champions Trophy 2025: Gautam Gambhir, Ajit Agarkar clash over Shreyas Iyer's position in team
239 composite liquor shops to be opened in..., booze business ramps up in...
Mukesh Ambani may lose the position of Asia's richest after Reliance loses...in just...days