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Renault Could Launch Knee-Gate Protest

Although Red Bull Racing and Ferrari don't seem to care too much whether McLaren's aerodynamic tricks are given the all clear by the FIA or not – the ruling body ruled them as legal after the Thursday scrutinizing process in Bahrain – it seems the danger of a what could be called a knee-gate is to come from Renault.

Earlier this week, we had presented to you some aerodynamic features that the Woking based team implemented on their MP4-25 during the latest test in Barcelona, that adds some 6 mph to the car's performances in straight line. We're talking about a special rear wing design and an air inlet on the upper part of the bodywork, with the latter having a triggering device inside the cockpit that can be activated by the driver with his left knee.

After FIA's Charlie Whiting referred to this device as being a “simple but brilliant trick” totally compliant with the Formula One technical rulebook, Renault's technical director Bob Bell begged to differ. As far as he's concerned, it's a “joke” and “nonsense” that the FIA had green lighted the “completely illegal” innovation, which will now spark an “arms race” within pit lane, according to a report issued by the GMM news agency.

Additionally, he did not dismiss a potential protest to the FIA on McLaren's devices, answering angrily to BBC when asked about this move: “I honestly couldn't comment on that, to be honest.

Soon after the car's aerodynamic package was approved by the FIA for the Bahrain race, McLaren's boss Martin Whitmarsh revealed that he doesn't know of a potential protest lodged by a team on the matter, nor does he fear that will happen in the upcoming days.

From what I understand, there are no grounds for a protest.(( I don't think everyone yet understands the nature of the systems that are on our car. So if they put a protest in, it would potentially be on a wrong set of assumptions as to what we've got,” said Whitmarsh.
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