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Christian Horner tires of front wing talk

Christian Horner has defended the legality of Adrian Newey's latest car © Sutton Images

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Christian Horner has said that the low running Red Bull front wing is down to "obvious science" as McLaren continue to question its legality.

Last season's front wing was the centre of much speculation, and 2011 has started in a similar vein with rival teams pointing to how much the wing flexes towards the ground at high speed. McLaren have been most vocal in its opposition, with Lewis Hamilton saying in Malaysia: "Ours always has that big gap (to the ground). Theirs is on the ground!"

Jenson Button also felt the wing may not comply with regulations.

"A few people that I have spoken to say it flexes more than what they expect is correct," he said.

But Christian Horner said he was not interested in McLaren's thoughts, and that the wing had passed all tests on its legality, saying the reason it runs closer to the ground could be explained by "simple mathematics".

"We don't have to pass a McLaren test, we have to pass an FIA one, and it complies fully with that," Horner said. "McLaren have developed a car that has a very low rear ride height, and therefore a low front wing for them doesn't work. We run quite a high rake angle in our car, so inevitably when the rear of the car is higher, the front of the car is going to be lower to the ground. It is obvious science, and therefore our wing complies fully with the regulations. It will look lower to the ground because the rake in our car is higher. It is simple mathematics."

Sebastian Vettel said that the controversy was a hangover from last season, when the title-winning RB6 also came under scrutiny.

"I had to check the date and see if it was 2010 or 2011, what I was reading," Vettel said. "I thought we had left that behind."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.