Toto Wolff: Mercedes "monitoring" Ferrari power unit situation

Mercedes

Mercedes "monitoring" Ferrari power unit situation - Wolff

Mercedes has not backed away from a potential protest

Sam Hall

Friday 3 July 2020 14:08 Updated: 15:31

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Mercedes has not firmly closed the door on launching a protest against the deal struck between the FIA and Ferrari following an investigation into the Scuderia's 2019 power unit, according to motorsport boss Toto Wolff.

Following an investigation into its system, Ferrari and the FIA reached a confidential settlement, albeit with motorsport's governing body unable to provide concrete evidence of wrongdoing.

A joint letter penned by the non-Ferrari powered teams followed, and although the FIA has since stated it would be happy to share details of the agreement, it requires Ferrari's consent. With the Scuderia unwilling, it means the details remain shrouded in secrecy.

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“We didn’t back off," said Wolff in the FIA team principals' press conference as it appeared Mercedes did so during the shutdown period.

"We decided in Melbourne that for the start of the season, this additional controversy, plus coronavirus starting to get really bad in Italy, it was not the opportune moment.

“In this day and age, transparency is extremely important, and good governance is extremely important. It may well have been good governance, but if you don’t know, it’s difficult to judge.

“The position that we are in is that we are monitoring the situation.

“We are not happy about last year, because it stretched all of us to the [breaking] point to be competitive against Ferrari, where it was not difficult to cope [before].

“Let's start and see how the season gets going and we can reassess for ourselves.”

Despite Mercedes considering an offensive move against Ferrari, it is likely the German manufacturer could face a protest against its own car, with Red Bull seeking 'clarifications' over Dual Axis Steering [DAS] system.

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