Ross Brawn, the Mercedes team chief, has accused his Formula One rivals of sour grapes after their objections to the DRS-activated F-duct that has allowed Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg to go faster in the opening exchanges of the season.
A number of teams, including Red Bull and Lotus, are unhappy with the rear wing on the Mercedes, arguing that it is illegal because it is driver-activated. The FIA has already ruled in favour of Mercedes but teams have continued to object, presumably because it is cheaper to fight the case than have to copy it themselves.
Brawn is particularly upset that teams have waited so late in the week to ask fresh questions about the new rear wing. "Bang a protest in on Thursday if you want to get it done, and leave the stewards to try and resolve the issue," he said. "Don't do it after qualifying or the race and spoil the event.
"It's everybody's right to protest. But even in a business as competitive as we have here there is some protocol. To protest now would be pretty unpleasant because it is something that could have happened yesterday, could have happened on Thursday. Nothing has changed on the car since we started running in Melbourne.
"I can understand people are frustrated because they haven't thought of the idea, or they don't believe it's correct, and that's their right. But I've seen lots of things on racing cars where I've wondered at the interpretation, but that is the nature of our business."
Mercedes also finds itself at the centre of another controversy. Bernie Ecclestone, the sport's commercial rights holder, says that "the majority" of Formula One teams had agreed terms on a new Concorde Agreement. However, the German giant, one of the big four teams, has kept silent on the issue and could challenge it under European law since teams such as Ferrari are granted more money because of their longevity in Formula One.
