Horner "surprised" at his own 'illegal Mercedes' comment

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has conceded to 'surprise' at apparently making a comment in Bahrain that Mercedes' latest W13 is "illegal".

A row has kicked off in the paddock at the Bahrain International Circuit following a conversation Horner had with respected Auto Motor und Sport journalist Michael Schmidt.

Schmidt has quoted Horner as saying the design of the 'disappearing sidespods' on the Mercedes that have made an appearance on the first day of the second test are "a step too far".

Horner is further reported as saying they "do not correspond to the spirit of the regulations. For us, these wings are illegal".

Soon after, Red Bull later issued a statement from a spokesperson that read: "Christian Horner has not given any interviews regarding Mercedes' car.

"Any quotes being attributed to him this morning are incorrect."

AMuS insist the quotes are accurate, prompting Red Bull to later clarify their remark by stating no official comment had been made regarding Mercedes' car, and nor would it be doing so.

Asked about the furore on Sky Sports F1, Horner said: "I was slightly surprised to be reading comments that I'm supposed to have been making but there we go."

Directly asked about the Mercedes, Horner added: "To be honest with you, I haven't paid a great deal of attention to it.

"It's obviously a fairly different concept but that's for the aero guys and designers to get into."

It now remains to be seen if an official protest will be launched, which usually occurs after official scrutineering ahead of the opening grand prix, which is in Bahrain next weekend.

"Let the guys digest it and understand it," added Horner. "It's the first time we've seen the car this morning."

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