Red Bull boss Christian Horner has refuted allegations that he claimed Lewis Hamilton ’s new Mercedes car for the 2022 Formula 1 season is "not legal".
The Formula 1 circuit is back in action this week ahead of the upcoming campaign, with all 10 teams out in Bahrain for pre-season testing.
On Thursday morning, Horner was reported to have said of Mercedes' new car: “The new Mercedes violates the spirit of the regulations. For us, some parts are not legal."
However, a statement from Red Bull swiftly disputed that claim. It said: “Christian Horner has not given any interviews regarding Mercedes’ car.
“Any quotes being attributed to him this morning are incorrect."
A later statement said: “So we are clear, we have made no official comment regarding Mercedes’ car and will not be doing so."
It had been claimed that Horner was unhappy with Mercedes’ mirror mounts on the vehicle.
German journalist Michael Schmidt had quoted Horner as saying: “These are not mirror mounts, but two wings. They also have vertical baffles built on top.
“They have nothing to do with the mirror mount.
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"From our point of view, Mercedes went a step too far. That does not correspond to the spirit of the regulations. For us, these wings are illegal.”
Despite the controversy the Mercedes car has been approved by FIA officials, with vehicle design heavily monitored following new rules and regulations introduced by the governing body for the 2022 season.
