Christian Horner launches ‘pink Mercedes’ dig after Red Bull come under fire
Christian Horner has dismissed ideas that the closer cooperation between Red Bull and AlphaTauri next season will lead to a repeat of the ‘pink Mercedes’ saga that surrounded Racing Point – now rebranded to Aston Martin – during the 2020 F1 season.
The Racing Point challenger of that year resembled Mercedes’ 2019 car to such an extent that rivals couldn’t help but compare the two, providing the origin of the ‘pink Mercedes’ moniker due to the striking BWT livery design. It was later discovered that the RP20’s brake ducts breached the regulations following a protest lodged by Renault.
As a result of these findings, Racing Point were fined £347,000 (€400,000) and deducted 15 points, and the saga proved an unwanted distraction for multiple teams in the paddock as arguments over the car’s legality, as well as the severity of the punishment, dragged on throughout the year.
Concerns relating to Red Bull and AlphaTauri’s relationship moving forward were sparked earlier this season when Helmut Marko told Kleine Zeitung: “The orientation is clear: based on Red Bull Racing, as far as the regulations allow. Do-it-yourself constructions are the wrong way.”
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The Red Bull team principal gave an insight into the partnership after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, stating: “It wasn’t discussed in the Commission. But no. I mean, we’re an awfully long way away from a pink Mercedes.
“There’s some transferable components that are clearly listed within the regulations that you’re allowed to supply. And that’s what they get. When you look at the car, there’s quite fundamental differences between their car and a Red Bull Racing car.
“And arguably, there’s other cars on the grid, which are far closer in concept than an AlphaTauri is. You’ve only got to look at an Aston Martin or even a McLaren. If you look around the rear suspension of McLaren, it’s very close in concept to that of our own.
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“Of course, there’s certain components that we can supply as is the case with Ferrari and Mercedes that supply two Grand Prix teams with gearboxes and suspension and simulation tools, a wind tunnel. And that’s the identical relationship between the companies, of course. It’s then down to them how they use those tools.”
Horner then poked some fun at his long-term Constructors’ Championship rivals, adding: “And you can see that McLaren have used the tools in certain respects better than their supplier has done in the second half of the year. So it’s really down to them, how they made use of what they’re permitted within the regulations.”
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