Mercedes technical director James Allison revealed the team is relaxed about Red Bull's plans to form a closer partnership with its sister team because of the “very strong” rules in place.
After years of underperformance, Red Bull and the soon-to-be-renamed AlphaTauri team are working closer together, and the move has prompted a number of strong reactions, particularly from McLaren.
However, Mercedes does not seem to share the same concerns as its engine customers, as FIA rules are very clear on what information can and cannot be shared.
Mercedes: Rules do not allow close technical cooperation
Alisson, who recently signed a new long-term contract extension with Mercedes, actually believes Red Bull and its sister organization will still be quite limited in the new plans from 2024 onwards.
“We're not entirely sure what the nature of the relationship is between these two teams, but we're clear what the rules are,” Allison said. Quoted by Motorsport.com.
“And apart from a very limited part of the car for which parts are allowed to be supplied, namely a certain amount of technical data that goes with those parts, in every other respect nothing that could possibly be passed on. There are very strict rules in place that no intellectual property is considered intellectual property between teams.
“The way the rules are written is so broad and so strong that it almost disallows any kind of communication.
“If two teams have a strong relationship with each other, it can really only be a strong commercial relationship.
“There can't be a strong technical or sporting relationship because the rules prohibit that.
“It used to be a lot more open and the relationship between Mercedes and the current Aston Martin team was one that allowed much more freedom then than it does today.
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The relationship Alisson is referring to is the one Mercedes had with the team operating under the Racing Point name during the 2020 season.
The RP20 has been dubbed the “pink Mercedes” due to its striking resemblance to the Mercedes W10, which won 15 of 21 races in F1 in 2019, and Red Bull boss Christian Horner said exactly that when asked in Abu Dhabi. The car was mentioned. We can expect Red Bull's 'B' team to be on the grid this year.
“That means it's quite a long way to the pink Mercedes,” Horner told media such as PlanetF1.com at the final race of the 2023 season.
“There are some transferable components that are clearly listed within the regulations that they are allowed to supply. And that's what they get.
“If you look at the cars, there are quite fundamental differences between their cars and Red Bull Racing's cars. And there will definitely be cars on the grid that are much closer in concept than AlphaTauri. .
“Of course there are components that we can supply, like Ferrari and Mercedes, who supply gearboxes, suspension, simulation tools and wind tunnels to two Grand Prix teams.
“Of course, that's the relationship between the two companies as well. How they use those tools is up to them.
“And we can see that in the second half of this year McLaren utilized the tools better than its suppliers in certain respects.
“So it's up to them to decide how to utilize what they are allowed within the regulations.
Information regarding AlphaTauri's rebranding will be announced in the coming days.
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