Lotus Renault have officially lodged a protest against Mercedes' wing design ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
Rumours circulated over recent weeks suggesting that the Formula 1 team were considering an official complaint over the controversial W-duct wing, and now the UK-based team have confirmed their protest.
A statement was released, which said: "Lotus F1 Team, by means of this document, formally files a protest concerning the Scrutineers of the Meeting's decision regarding Cars No: 7 and 8 on 12th April 2012, relating to their conformation to article 3.15 of the 2012 Technical Regulations.
"This protest is pursuant to Articles 171-179b) (chapter XII) of the FIA International Sporting Code. A deposit for the amount of €2,000 has been lodged with the FIA in anticipation of this protest. The FIA is hereby authorised to use this deposit as the fee for this protest in accordance with Article 17.1 of the 2012 Formula One Sporting Regulations."
Governing body FIA may not adhere to Lotus's complaint following their decision to allow the wing on two separate occasions.
Danielle Joynson
