Coulthard tells flex rivals to ’put up or shut up’

David Coulthard has told Red Bull’s critics to "put up or shut up" as the new flexible front wing saga continues to grip the Sepang paddock.

In a repeat of the identical 2010 controversy, some rivals - notably Coulthard’s former employer McLaren - say the front wing of the RB7 is flexing too much even though it passes FIA scrutineering tests.

The Scot, now a commentator for British television as well as an advisor to his last F1 team Red Bull, wrote in the Telegraph that he is suspicious of the complaints.

"Anyone who complains repeatedly about something but does not lodge a protest is either scaremongering, trying to devalue someone else’s achievements or has serious doubts about the solidity of their argument," said Coulthard.

He added that Red Bull’s rivals "either need to copy it (the wing) - if they can - or challenge it if they think it is illegal. Put up or shut up".

Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn said the frustration of some of Red Bull’s rivals is because the FIA flexibility tests were further strengthened over the winter.

"It’s fair to say that probably, over the winter, a lot of teams assumed with the new test that the situation was going to change and it hasn’t," said the Briton.