Mercedes faces "the prospect of being penalized" for its tire test with Pirelli in Barcelona last month, according to Paul Weaver of the London GUARDIAN. Motorsports governing body FIA "has referred the case to its international tribunal for further investigation following a report from the stewards of the Monaco Grand Prix."
It was at Monaco, during the last race weekend, that Red Bull and Ferrari "lodged an official protest." The FIA has decided now that Mercedes -- and Pirelli -- "have a case to answer." If found guilty Mercedes "may face any one of a number of penalties including a hefty fine, a points deduction or even being thrown out of this year's championship, though that is extremely unlikely" (GUARDIAN, 6/5). In London, Kevin Eason reported a FIA statement said that Ferrari "has been cleared of any charges after carrying out a test in April after the race in Bahrain." The key difference is that Ferrari "used a two-year-old car for their test, but Mercedes used not only the car that went on to take first and fourth places in Monaco" but also had Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton in the cockpit (LONDON TIMES, 6/5).
