The Mercedes F1 team just shared a humorous video on Twitter of someone touching the back wing of the W13. It happened to Max Verstappen once when he was severely fined. When they touched the wing, a sound effect was played, and the video went black and white. And a red ‘Wasted’ message appeared, similar to the effect seen when the player’s character dies in the famous video game Grand Theft Auto 5.
This was a clever method of demonstrating how F1 vehicles cannot be modified or tinkered with during parc fermé. Cars usually arrive in the pit lane after a session to enter the parc fermé phase.
However, there have been allegations of drivers touching the vehicles of their rivals in order to check their components and relay crucial information to their teams. As a result, the Mercedes F1 team made the joke on their official Twitter account.
The individual in the film touched Lewis Hamilton’s rear wing, which alluded to an event that occurred in November 2021. It was when Max Verstappen touched Hamilton’s rear wing following the qualifying session of the 2021 Brazilian GP.
It was later determined that the Briton’s car’s DRS technology violated technical requirements. Despite the fact that Max Verstappen‘s fiddling did not result in a modification in the DRS system, the FIA penalized him €50,000.
F1 Twitterati react to Mercedes’ rear wing post
All F1 fans are looking forward to the 2021 season. To win the world championship, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton competed courageously against one other. As a result, many immediately linked this message to the occasion in 2021 when the Dutchman was punished for touching the Mercedes W12’s rear wing.
Many of them made light of the €50,000 punishment. They also said how the team had to pay the charge because the person who touched it was Mercedes’ social media administrator.
One even joked about putting the penalties under the catering budget. A reference at Red Bull’s cost cap violation in the 2021 F1 season.
Several fans recalled Sebastian Vettel inspecting and even touching automobiles after entering the parc ferme. After finishing a session, the retired German driver was known for inspecting other rivals’ vehicles.
Though staring at automobiles during parc ferme is certainly not a crime. He has been punished on several occasions for touching them.
Finally, F1 Twitterati appreciated Mercedes’ post about touching Lewis Hamilton’s rear wing. It brought back thoughts of the 2021 Formula One season, when Max Verstappen was fined for touching Hamilton’s vehicle in Brazil.
