Mercedes team rubbishes report W13 failed crash test

Mercedes says it completed the FIA's full homologation process for its all-new W13 chassis over two weeks ago on January 13.

Over the weekend, a report published by Motorsport.com's Italian affiliate claimed that Mercedes' new car had failed part of the FIA's mandatory crash test.

F1 teams based in the UK usually undergo their stringent pre-season evaluations, which include five dynamic tests and 13 static load tests involving a chassis' front, side and rear structures, at the FIA-approved Cranfield Impact Centre in Bedfordshire.

In a note sent to the media on Monday, Mercedes moved to rubbish the report published over the weekend that stated that the Brackley squad's chassis had failed a side-impact test.

Mercedes wasn't the only team targeted by crash-test failure rumors last week, with several websites reporting that Red Bull's 2022 chassis had allegedly also ran into trouble at Cranfield during a frontal test.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit didn't respond to the obscure reports but given the introduction this year of an all-new set of technical regulations, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that a team may encounter a structural issue during its car's homologation process, or at least during its first attempt.

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However, F1 engineers are quick to react to any issues that may arise and revise or alter a chassis accordingly.

Similarly, the Aston Martin team was also the target of a worrying rumor asserting that the Silverstone-based outfit was so far behind in its preparations for 2022 that it would not be making the first pre-season test in Barcelona.

However, Aston dismissed the gossip and insisted its all-new AMR22 will be up and running next month at the Circuit de Catalunya as scheduled.

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