Only on Saturday, reports emerged that Red Bull Racing had failed their frontal crash test, hence, forcing them to delay the launch date announcement of RB18. And now, barely a day later, Red Bull have found themself a company in rivals, Mercedes, as the Silver Arrows, too, have failed to clear the test and receive homologation from the FIA.

So far, four teams, including Ferrari, McLaren, AlphaTauri and Haas have cleared the crash tests. On the other hand, Red Bull recently failed to clear the front crash test which Mercedes managed to clear. However, the Brackley outfit, instead, got caught in the side crash test.

Hence, as of now, Mercedes and Red Bull remain two of the fewest teams yet to earn the FIA’s approval to compete in the pre-season testing in Barcelona. In order to receive it, Mercedes will not only have to clear the failed test but also complete other pending new tests as well.

Therefore, a long process ahead for the Toto Wolff-led outfit. But, there doesn’t seem to be any major concerns just yet.

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This is certainly one of the biggest concerns for the Mercedes F1 fans. But, here’s the good news – The German manufacturers themselves aren’t worried about this hindrance.

According to Motorsport, James Allison and Mike Elliot, Head of Technical Department, already own a plan-B to fix the problem. The worst-case scenario? The launch date of Mercedes’ 2022 challenger will not happen on February 18, and may instead happen later that week or ahead of the testing in Barcelona that commences on February 23.

Hence, nothing concerning as of yet for the defending champions. Additionally, the fact that Red Bull, too, are part of this hurdle will only reduce the pressure on the Silver Arrows.

Overall, this is certainly an unwanted speed bump for Mercedes. And it is quite clear that both Red Bull and Mercedes are pushing hard, seeking ways to maximize the new regulatory changes. So, with more tests in the offing, how do you think the Brackley outfit will fare?

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