• Team could be thrown out of F1 world championship• Mercedes team principal, Ross Brawn, will be cross-examinedMercedes could be thrown out of the 2013 Formula One world championship when they appear before a 12-man FIA International tr...
• Team could be thrown out of F1 world championship• Mercedes team principal, Ross Brawn, will be cross-examinedMercedes could be thrown out of the 2013 Formula One world championship when they appear before a 12-man FIA International tribunal in Paris on Thursday morning.Such an outcome could lead to them quitting the sport for good. But even if Mercedes are found guilty of contravening the FIA's ban on in-season testing using a current car, they are more likely to face a lesser punishment, such as a fine, a race ban or a points deduction. Confident of their innocence, they would appeal any guilty verdict to the International Court of Appeal.Mercedes and the tyre manufacturers Pirelli are in the dock following their three-day, 1,000km test held at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya between 15-17 May. Red Bull and Ferrari, who knew nothing about the test, claim that Mercedes gained an unfair advantage from the "illegal" session.According to the regulations, any car used in a test must be at least two years old, and driven by test drivers. In Barcelona, Mercedes' current WO4 cars were piloted by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.Article 22.1 of F1's Sporting Regulations says: "Track testing shall be considered any track running time not part of an Event undertaken by a competitor entered in the Championship, using cars which conform substantially with the current Formula One Technical Regulations in addition to those from the previous or subsequent year."The Mercedes team principal, Ross Brawn, and Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery will be cross-examined to discover whether a breach of the rule actually took place. Both teams have made written submissions to the tribunal, which will be led by British barrister Edwin Glasgow QC.Mercedes' compelling argument is that they received permission from the FIA to go ahead with the test. It is almost inconceivable that Brawn, the most experienced and successful of Formula One's team principals, would leave himself vulnerable by not getting the go-ahead from the sport's ruling body.Pirelli also has a supplier contract with the FIA in which it is allowed to conduct 1,000-kilometre tests with current teams using a "representative" car.The tribunal must decided which takes precedence – the Sporting Regulations or the special circumstances presented by Mercedes and Pirelli.But if Mercedes and Pirelli win it will be a major embarrassment for the FIA and its rather accident-prone president, Jean Todt.Todt is expected to be re-elected later this year despite being badly wounded this season. He failed to attend the schedule's most controversial race in Bahrain in April and several teams have privately complained about a lack of leadership.Mercedes GPMotor sportFormula OneFormula One 2013Paul Weaverguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
