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TOTO WOLFF CLARIFIES MERCEDES’ FIA AERO ENQUIRY, SAYS: “FERRARI IS OUR BEST FRENEMY”POSTED: 30 NOV 2015
Mercedes’ motorsport boss Toto Wolff has explained that his squad’s appeal to the FIA for guidance on using another Formula 1 team to help with aerodynamic development was to cement its understanding of the regulations and he congratulated Ferrari on its interpretation of the rules.
During last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Mercedes asked the FIA’s race stewards to examine the legality of ambiguous rules relating to an existing F1 team doing work with a new team not yet entered into the F1 championship, as it believes Ferrari as done with its technical partner and 2016 debutant, Haas F1.
The stewards’ ruled that Ferrari was not in breach of the regulations, but closed the loophole by making it clear that no team can use another outfit for its aerodynamic development.
The FIA already inspected Ferrari’s windtunnel earlier this year regarding the team’s relationship with Haas and found that both were operating within the rules.Speaking after the race in Abu Dhabi, Wolff explained that he was happy with the stewards’ decision and praised Ferrari on its perception of the rules.
He said: “I comfortable with the outcome because the stewards’ decision gives us clarity and that was the main purpose of the exercise.
“I don’t think they [Ferrari] operated outside of the regulations, I think that Ferrari and Haas interpreted the rules in the right way. It wasn’t for us to seek clarification of the past, but we just wanted to be rock solid for the future, for us mainly, but in the way we did it, for everybody to have that transparent information.
“This is a sport about gaining an advantage and if they gained an advantage by interpreting the rules like they did, then ‘chapeau’. They deserve that.”
At no point in its correspondents with the FIA did Mercedes mention Haas or Ferrari as the reasons for its enquiry and Wolff explained his team asked the FIA for clarity on the rules to avoid what he had previously described as a potential “arms race” of bigger squads using smaller outfits for aero development.
He said: “We had asked the FIA for clarification for what we could do in the future.
“We were looking for a partnership with some of the teams who are our engine partner in order to optimise on the aero development and we weren’t quite sure of the rules, which were vague and ambiguous in certain areas.
“This [is] why we asked for guidance to everybody, so every team would have a transparent, open communication [and] guidance from the FIA.
When asked if he considered Ferrari as a serious threat to Mercedes’ dominant position in F1, Wolff described the Scuderia as his team’s “best ‘frenemy’” as a battle at the head of the pack in 2016 would be good for the sport.
He said: “Ferrari has made a big step forwards from 2014 in 2015 and considering the resources they have we think that could well be the case again from 2015 to 2016 and we take the Ferrari threat very seriously.
“Competition is good – I think it’s important for Formula that there is more going on at the front and Ferrari is our best ‘frenemy.’”
But Wolff explained he is still confident Mercedes’ form would carry on next year based on the work he has seen on its 2016 car so far, although he warned that the team could only be sure of continued success once the season got underway at the Australian Grand Prix.
He said: “What I see from the various departments is very encouraging. We just need to put it together and the stopwatch never lies, whatever the day is for Melbourne, in March or in April, we’ll see if we have done a good enough job or not.”
I was wrong as so many times in my life...
Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point. 
After the agony of defeat, success will be sweet!
Racing Stories: 2015 Season
