A controversial statement by Horner on Hamilton and Mercedes complaints

Chris Homer He won’t forgive one F1.. When a rival attacks him, he doesn’t hesitate to respond. And when he doesn’t, he tries to make his wounds bigger.The latter is what he did later F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prixof Baku..in front Mercedes At the start of the course, I couldn’t get up in the wrong direction of the new car, Homer He did not forgive.In the memory of the huge dispute that took place between my head with him Mercedes, Toto WolffIn 2021, for a controversial and dynamic history in the office, Chris He doesn’t seem to forget and continues to attack his enemies.This time he did it in connection with his complaint that he started on the radio Lewis Hamilton Appointed in Baku this Sunday.

“My back is killing me,” Hamilton, in the midst of the Grand Prix, said due to the huge rebound his car received for the now-famous “porpoise.” This rebound is caused by the sudden loss of the ground effect, which is the main aerodynamic base, causing the grip of the new 2022 car. The car floor sticks to the asphalt due to the air passing underneath and sucks the car towards the truck. Generate a grip. Then, because of a pothole or because it hits a truck, the effect is suddenly lost due to the lack of air passing under it, the car suddenly rises, and when the effect recovers, it descends. It repeats quickly over and over again, causing a constant bounce that is very annoying to the pilot.

Most teams solved this problem, but Mercedes continued to suffer terribly until Barcelona, ​​where they took a step forward. So they claimed that they improved it a lot on the straight, but still appeared on the fast curve. But in Baku, with such a long, bumpy straight, Mercedes bounced a lot again.

As a result, Hamilton complained and was forced to get out of the car with problems with obvious symptoms of back pain. Lewis said he gave him the strange feeling that he was afraid to hit the wall above 300 km / h. Because with those rebounds, it was dangerous to go that fast. And Toto Wolff, the principal of the Mercedes team, publicly complained about this effect and urged the FIA ​​to take action on this issue. “This is no longer a muscle problem. It can reach the spine and have consequences. I don’t think it’s just Lewis’s problem. In general, it affects many others as well.” Wolff said.

Horner’s reaction

As a result, Chris Horner rushed to the scene, implying that Hamilton’s dissatisfaction and back pain were just a tactic to put pressure on the FIA ​​to change new technology regulations. Horner said that if Red Bull suffers from problems with Mercedes car rebounds, what they do is tell their drivers to do the same they do in Mercedes. ..

“Complain on the radio as much as you can and ask them to cause the biggest problems possible. It’s part of the game. It’s like someone jumping into the penalty area.”

For Horner, the rest of the team knew how to interpret the regulation and improve the rebound compared to Mercedes, saying that the rebound is not a widespread issue. “It would be unfair to penalize someone who did a decent job and perhaps a little less than achieved their goals,” he commented.

“If it was a security concern for everyone, it should be considered, but if it only affects isolated individuals or teams, it should be potentially addressed by the team. It’s a kimono. ”

According to the Red Bull team principal, Mercedes has a way to stop those rebounds and lift the car so it doesn’t hit the ground too much. However, he emphasizes that this will slow down the star driver. Therefore, the easiest way is to complain from a security standpoint. But every team has a choice. “

On his side, Lando Norris was also powerful. “I’m confident that Mercedes can solidify the ground and lift the car. That would be a lot of fun for them, but they don’t want to lose performance,” said the McLaren driver, saying it’s up to Hamilton. Revealed. Mercedes has decided to go on the track with a more elastic car rather than a less performant but safer car in that respect.