Red Bull boss Christian Horner claims new Mercedes design is ‘illegal’

Lewis Hamilton’s new Mercedes has been called “illegal” by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner as a rules row threatens to engulf the new Formula One season.

Just 10 days before the first race, Hamilton’s Mercedes team unveiled a radically revised machine on the opening day of the final test in Bahrain.

The focus is on Mercedes’ virtually non-existent sidepods, designed to provide greater airflow, improving downforce, and effectively making the car go faster.

Mercedes’ innovative design comes after the biggest technical overhaul of the sport’s rulebook in a generation.

However, Horner questioned whether his rivals have bent the rules.

In an interview with German publication Auto Motor und Sport, Horner said: “From our point of view, Mercedes went a step too far.

“That doesn’t correspond to the spirit of the regulations. For us, these wings are illegal.”

Rival teams could protest the Mercedes at the opening round in the Gulf Kingdom on March 20.

The car could also be outlawed if eight of the grid’s 10 teams – the so-called super majority – believe the concept is not within the spirit of the revamped regulations.

F1 motorsport boss Ross Brawn, who has spearheaded the rule change, admitted he was caught off-guard by Mercedes’ new design.

Brawn said: “There are some very extreme interpretations of the regulations which could lead to a lot of debate. We did not anticipate the Mercedes concept.

“The regulators of the sport know what’s going on – I think they’re OK with it so far – but a team may come in and raise an objection that the FIA hadn’t considered, and then you have a problem.”

But Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said he is confident the team’s car is legal.

“When you go down a specific development direction,