Mercedes’ wing mirror design should not be allowed by the F1 regulations, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has said.

Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free

The radical change to the W13 revealed by Mercedes yesterday has been the talk of the paddock. While much of the intrigue has surrounding the narrow shape of its sidepods, Ferrari has raised concerns over the design of its mirrors.

Binotto said Ferrari expected Mercedes to produce a bold interpretation of F1’s new rules for 2022. “No doubt it’s a great car,” he said. “I think that is not a surprise to us. It’s a good concept, different to the one we got.

“I think what is interesting – certainly the cooling layout, radiators positioning and the sidepods I think, again, something which looking into it is quite interesting.”

Ferrari want clampdown on Mercedes’ wing mirror design

He played down concerns over the legality of Mercedes’ design, saying it had been checked by the sport’s governing body. “It has gone through a process and the FIA is certainly the one which is responsible for policing and making sure it’s fully legal,” he said. “And I would be surprised if Mercedes is doing something illegal as well.”

However Binotto admitted the design of Mercedes’ wing mirrors, which are mounted on top of a piece of bodywork containing their side impact protection structures, is unusual.

“I think on the mirrors [I am] surprised. I find that quite surprising. It is something that we are not expecting. I think in the spirit of that, something that I think for the future needs to be addressed.”

Ferrari previously ran into a legality dispute over their mirrors in 2018. “Already in the past we always argue the mirrors should not have any aero purpose,” said Binotto. “They should be there just to look behind.

“I think that the way that they have treated and designed their car, certainly there is a significant aero purpose in the mirrors itself I would think. It is something that we need to stop for the future, no doubt, because the risk is that we will come in the future, that all the teams will start designing mirrors, that will look like spaceships and I don’t think that’s what we are looking for as F1.

“I’m not arguing [with] the idea. I think they did certainly their own reasoning and they found a solution that is interesting. But I think in the spirit of what we intend to do, certainly for the future, it is something that needs to be discussed.”

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Browse all 2022 F1 season articles