’Clever’ Mercedes dodges camera mount ruling

Mercedes has found a clever way around the issue of reportedly ’illegal’ camera mountings at the front of its title-defending 2015 car.

Earlier, we reported that teams including Ferrari and Toro Rosso had also been told by the FIA to modify their new cars before scrutineering in Australia.

Designers for the respective teams had shaped the mandatory, nose-positioned camera mountings aerodynamically, but the FIA had ruled that they were too long.

Last week in Barcelona, it was clear Toro Rosso had already reacted to the clarification, abandoning the stylised, wing-like ’ears’ and simply mounting the brackets to the chassis horizontally.

Indeed, that horizontal positioning is apparently exactly what the FIA envisages.

But when the Mercedes W06 emerged from the pits on Thursday, as the third and final test began in Barcelona, it was clear the defending champions had found a loophole.

The cameras are now fully horizontal, but they are not attached simply to the chassis, but via a new, stylised bracket featuring two right angles — with the cameras obviously still being used for aerodynamic purposes.

"The camera is now high above the front of the chassis, disrupting the aerodynamics as little as possible," explained Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt.

He added that at least two teams have already complained about Mercedes’ "very clever" new solution, but it does appear to comply with the wording of the 2015 regulations.