F1: Rivals considered Mercedes protest

Ferrari and Red Bull considered protesting Formula 1 rival Mercedes over its drivers changing brake disc suppliers after qualifying for the German Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton switched from Brembo to Carbone Industrie discs in the wake of his qualifying crash, while Nico Rosberg elected to change his rears, too. While the FIA was satiisfied that the switch complied with Formula 1's sporting regulations because the discs were similar in mass, inertia and function, other teams were not happy.

Both Ferrari and Red Bull contemplated a protest, but in the end decided to leave the matter in the hands of the FIA race stewards.

Ferrari team principal Marco Mattiacci said: "We discussed it internally, and at the moment we decided not to move forward with it."

When asked why, he said: "Because I don't think we want to get into that."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said he was surprised that Mercedes had been allowed to escape a pitlane start for making the brake-disc swap.

"It is a change of car specification," said Horner. "If you change it like for like that is one thing, but if you change it for something that is made by a different manufacturer that has a different characteristic, as described by the driver himself as something different, then it is an interesting precedent."

Horner suggested that the FIA would need to provide clarification about the parc ferme rules, because the Mercedes option could open the door for teams to swap parts more freely before the race.

"That is why we need a clarification because obviously if you can do that, then what else can you change? It will be interesting to see what the justification of that allowance was."