"What would happen if we didn't intervene when safety is at stake?"- FIA secretary not worried about allegations of favoring Mercedes over porpoising row

FIA interim secretary general and former Mercedes general counsel Shaila-Ann Rao revealed that she is not bothered by the technical directive allegations.

Allegations suggest that she has favored the Silver Arrows when it comes to the technical directives proposed regarding safety issues from porpoising.

Red Bull and Ferrari have been vocal about their stance on the matter and do not see the need for any such changes. However, Rao insists that intervention is necessary to ensure the safety of the drivers. She reportedly also worked as a special advisor to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

As reported by Corriere Della Sera, Rao shared her thoughts on the allegations:

“Before I worked for Mercedes, I was the Federation's director of legal affairs. The world of F1 is like this, you go from one team to other assignments. It is full of ex of something - even Stefano Domenicali (CEO of F1) is an ex of Ferrari. But I don't worry about certain voices. I go ahead and continue to do what I've always done: work.”

As reported by PlanetF1, Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto had previously commented on Rao's appointment to the role within the FIA. He detailed how it must be ensured that there are no "conflicts of interest" regarding her former employer:

“She’s a great person, she’s got a lot of experience. She will certainly be capable of doing the job. I’m pretty sure on that. It’s a concern, but only a concern. It’s down to them to make sure there will be no conflicts of interest at all - to behave properly.”

Lewis Hamilton says it will be "hard" for Mercedes to beat the top teams at the Hungarian GP

After a glorious double-podium result for Mercedes at the French Grand Prix last weekend, Lewis Hamilton is anticipating a challenge in Budapest.

Speaking about his expectations for the Hungarian GP, the Briton said:

“Well, personally, I love it in Budapest. Super excited to see the crowd there and I think, I mean, it’s going to be hard to beat the Ferrari and Red Bulls. You’ve seen they have the pace advantage still, but I am hoping we will bring some sort of upgrades to that track and [I] hope we take a step forward closer to them.’’

Mercedes currently stand third in the constructors' standings and are quickly closing the gap to Ferrari with their consistent results.