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McLaren urges against safety car rule changes

McLaren has urged formula one against making a knee-jerk reaction to the safety car rules.

Although Ferrari cried foul after Lewis Hamilton’s drive-through penalty in Valencia – where multiple drivers were also penalised for transgressions – Mark Webber said this week that Red Bull saw the events of the race as “normal”.

And although the Sporting Working Group is looking at the rules as a response to the Ferrari-powered controversy, McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale said on Wednesday: “I would be wary of knee-jerking.

“There wasn’t a lot wrong with last weekend (Valencia) and I don’t think we should be doing instant rule-making,” he told reporters during a teleconference.

Meanwhile, after Williams said it will test a blown rear exhaust for its car early this weekend, Neale confirmed that a similar approach will be taken by McLaren at Silverstone.

“If the drivers think it’s good it will stay on and we’ll run it,” he said, after the upgrade for the MP4-25 was tested during a straightline session.

“If not, we’ll continue to develop it.”

Neale also backed Red Bull boss Christian Horner’s view that the effect of the exhaust concept has been overstated.

“I would tend to agree that it’s not a case of bolt on your blown diffuser and then blow everybody into the weeds,” he said.

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