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CHARLIE WHITING, Formula One’s race director, said yesterday that he will warn teams over their future pit lane conduct following Mercedes’s “dummy” stop during Sunday’s British Grand Prix.
Mercedes sent their mechanics into the pit lane in a deliberate attempt to unsettle Williams who led the opening phase of the race at Silverstone.
The FIA rulebook states: “Team personnel are only allowed in the pit lane immediately before they are required to work on a car and must withdraw as soon as the work is complete.”
But Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff admitted afterwards: “We know Williams has difficulty keeping the tyres to last and we knew that taking an early pitstop might trigger them into a pitstop that would cause them problems. It was a bit of a game that didn’t work.”
Mercedes weren’t punished, but Whiting will warn teams not to play about at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“Going into the pit lane for no valid reason is not allowed but the difficulty would be proving it was a clear breach,” Whiting said. “I have no intention of giving them a few chances.”
