Yes, you heard it right. The F1 Racing team popularly known by the name, Mercedes, may terminate its F1 journey forever. It had been declared in the media quite powerfully, that Mercedes had broken some vital racing regulations. The inquiry was done and a detailed report has been sent to the officials at the FIA headquarters. The case called “tyregate” will be heard on the 20th June and if Mercedes is unhappy with the judicial system, it might put an end to its F1 career.
Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team, is also called as Mercedes, is an UK based team which runs on a German Licence. The team uses Mercedes-Benz engine in its races and recently changed the title to Mercedes AMG with the launch of AMG series of Mercedes.
The controversy started with the tyre testing by Mercedes and Pirelli, which is a violation of the F1 racing rules and regulations. The team had done a tyre testing of 1000 km using a 2013 car in Barcelona from 15th to 17th post Spanish Grand Prix. This being a violation of rules faced a strong protest from Ferrari Scuderia team and Red Bull Racing team. The FIA then officially launched an inquiry against Mercedes as well as Pirelli. The case will be heard on the 20th of June and the outcome of this hearing will decide the future of this racing team.
Mercedes has declared that if it is not satisfied with the outcome, it might quit F1 racing altogether. It does not wish to continue as an F1 racing team, after such a shameful destruction of its image.
It is important to note that if Mercedes turns out to be guilty, it will be dealt with very strictly. It will be asked to pay a heavy fine, along with termination of its career or loss of points at least.
The tyre company, Pirelli may escape this wrath as it is not a competitor at the F1 racing Championship league, but simply a tyre service provider.
