Mercedes lashes back at Red Bull after 2015 opener

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Mercedes lashes back at Red Bull after 2015 opener

Published on 16 Mar 2015 16:01
8
By: Rob Veenstra

Mercedes chiefs have lashed back at those calling for immediate rule changes after the opening race of 2015. Amid a diminished grid and earlier courtroom dramas for F1, the Mercedes giant's domination of 2014 then appeared only to have been extended further in Australia.

Lewis Hamilton was 1.4 seconds clear of any rival in qualifying, and then stood accused of sandbagging in Sunday's race -- even though the nearest non-Mercedes rival, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, was 34 seconds behind at the chequer. "That wasn't Mercedes' real pace today," Williams engineer Rob Smedley said on Sunday. "The real pace is what we saw in qualifying."

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff denied Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were not racing one another in the grand prix, but he did admit fuel-saving was a priority. "Nico never had the weapons to fight back against Lewis," he said, "because you have to save fuel on this track."

Former world champions Red Bull, however, were lashing out in every direction as the Melbourne sun set on the first round of the new F1 season. Australian journalists were busily writing up stories of a 'boring' race, while Christian Horner and Helmut Marko were slamming engine partner Renault and warning that Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz might quit F1 in protest of the current rules.

"Yes," said Marko, "there is a danger that Mateschitz will lose his passion for F1. "The technical regulations are incomprehensible, too complicated and expensive. We have let F1 be governed by engineers. But our designer Adrian Newey has his creativity castrated by these engine regulations. They are killing formula one!"

Wolff lost his temper. "I think 'just get your f***ing head down, work hard and try to sort it out'," said the Austrian. He then suggested Marko and Horner should take their 'wailing' out of the F1 paddock and to a famous wall in Jerusalem.

Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda also hit back at the post-race complaining. "Those who continuously criticise have no idea what they are talking about," said the F1 legend. "We are all here to bring the maximum in technological innovation, the best car, the best engine, the best drivers and try to win the grand prix," Lauda told the Austrian news agency APA.

"That is the goal in formula one. If others are here because of other things, they don't know what they're talking about," he insisted. Lauda said there was nothing wrong with the image presented by F1 on Sunday. "Ferrari is back on the podium, so how is that bad for formula one? Everything comes from Red Bull because they're annoyed their car doesn't work." (GMM)

F1 News Lewis Hamilton Nico Rosberg Sebastian Vettel Mercedes Williams Renault Ferrari

Replies (8)

khasmir

Posts: 893
A bit hypocritical from Mercedes or they have very short memory.
Double diffusers and Coanda exhausts anyone? Both were introduced by Red Bull and gave them an advantage. First everyone complained, then tried to copy them but in the end these things were banned. Red Bull had their wings chopped but Mercedes is allowed to keep running further away.
As other reports have shown, this is really starting to hurt the sport itself. There might not be a German GP this year and Mercedes still can't take a hint!?
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- Mar 16 2015 - 18:26
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  Posts: 5
  Brawn launched double diffusers .... F1 is about Cars and their engines .... not Red Bull and their drinks that make you 'whine'
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  Mar 18 2015 - 18:33
BtwnDitches

Posts: 204
Mercedes is in a tough position - which it has fashioned largely itself.

To suppport their reputations, brand loyaltist and commercial objectives, they must strive to win. Do all they can, consistently,and do it better. But, their winning by huge margins with unchallengable technological superiority is seriously hurting other F1 teams' prospects, so causing complaints, threats and noise that can only injure F1. Also, it's not Mercedes' fault that neither Renault nor Honda can yet build a competitive PU, or that the teams who are complaining loudest continue to depend on Renault. They knew last year that the Renault engines suck. Find another engine provider, RB. BMW, Audi, Ford, Hyundai, Toyota, GM? For what you're paying Renault, any one of those others should be interested in helping. Have an energy drink and chill.
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- Mar 16 2015 - 19:05
Trav

Posts: 2
It will be a very boring race season if only one team has a chance to win. F1 needs to do something and quickly or they will lose all the television audience.

Maybe everyone has same 1000 hp engine but unlimited changes to car body? Much cheaper and could make it interesting.
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- Mar 16 2015 - 20:48
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  Posts: 5
  F1 is about motors, not drinks
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  Mar 18 2015 - 18:33
denis1304

Posts: 284
this fuel saving sh** is what annoys me and more...
you can use 100 kg per race but they all start with less
1. make them start with full gas tank so they can't bitch about saving
2. have Pirelli made tires that can last 100 qualifying laps, but have 3 different compounds you have to use in race -> no more excuses about failing tires
3. have more parts that are standard so there is no development (wheel nuts and bolts that fail... WTF)
ETC
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- Mar 16 2015 - 21:50
dr002

Posts: 141
C'mon Niki!! That the teams are there to "bring the maximum in technological innovation, the best car, the best engine, the best drivers and try to win the grand prix", is not quite right when development is restrained to making limited improvements to a potentially flawed engine, rather than being in a position to redesign and overcome the 'ACTUAL' flaws in said engine.

DRIVERS..... Really Niki? THE BEST drivers are driving in F1?.... or are they the best of the most capable 'fund-raising' drivers?....... and, as my girlfriend keeps asking, "why do they all look like emaciated little boys?"...... in which case, are the drivers, not necessarily THE BEST drivers, but the best of the lightest, most capable 'fund-raising' drivers?

(A solution to little emaciated drivers could be addressed when introducing the 1000 hp engines by requiring that the combined weight of the driver and his car is in excess of a particular weight AND the combined weight of the driver and his race seat is in excess of say 100kg - if less than, additional weight is to be added to the seat).

And as for Niki's last point, it is clear that only one team is there to win a grand prix this year....... The rest are resigned to competing in a race within a race..... or hoping to do a 'Bradbury'!!! (i.e. win gold when the rest of the field falls over - aka Steve Bradbury).....lol
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- Mar 17 2015 - 06:10
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  Posts: 5
  F1 is about cars and their motors ... it is a competition for Motor companies to showcase their engines ..... not a show for drinks ...
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  Mar 18 2015 - 18:35