Mercedes has come under fire from rival teams for conduting a secret test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona following on from the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Brackley-based outfit completed just under 1000 kilometre of testing, roughly equivalent to just over three race distances, over three days following the race where they secured pole but dropped back significantly on Sunday because of severe tyre wear.
Both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg took part, with Hamilton driving one day and Rosberg, because of weather interruptions, the other two.
Whilst private testing is banned – other than a couple of straight-line runs – Mercedes are adamant the test was legal because Pirelli can call upon an outfit to help it understand its tyres if it encounters an unusual circumstance, such as the number of delaminations we’ve seen in the opening five races.
Mercedes’ rivals however aren’t happy and, according to Autosport, have reported the matter to the FIA. They claim the test goes against the regulations and has given Mercedes an unfair advantage as it struggles to understand its tyre problems.
It’s believed Red Bull are seeking clarification on the matter before deciding whether to launch an official protest.
Nothing in the sporting or technical regulations refers to Pirelli being able to call upon a single team to conduct private testing, therefore it’s likely be a separate clause in Pirelli’s contract with the FIA.
Pirelli’s Paul Hembery also revealed that a similar test took place with Ferrari following the Bahrain GP, and is within the rules.
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