Mercedes don’t believe they should face any substantial penalty for their part in the Pirelli tyre test following on from the Spanish Grand Prix.
The International Tribunal got together on Thursday to hear evidence from Mercedes, Pirelli and the FIA. The session lasted all day and a decision is due on Friday.
Mercedes lawyer Paul Harris QC, alongside team principal Ross Brawn, maintains the team’s innocence and believes they should face a reprimand or a ban from the young driver test at the very most – confirming they had permission from the FIA.
“We were actually careful to ensure there was no breach of [article] 22,” said Harris. “We rang Charlie Whiting who we understand to be the man to ring. We rang him twice including with the team principal.
“We also thought it was a good idea for Charlie to check with the FIA legal department, and he confirmed what we thought and hoped.
“Critically we would not have proceeded without the agreement we received from Whiting.”
Speaking about possible punishments and what he might expect, Harris added: “If there is to be any sanction it has to be a minor one taking that into consideration. The sort of thing would be a reprimand.
He believes it would be fair to ban them from the young driver test if found guilty as it is similar to the Pirelli tyre test.
“It is a three-day test, and it is a car test over which teams have full control and teams know everything about the tyres and cars,” he concluded.
