In a move that might well be considered presumptuous and arrogant, Mercedes has suggested how it might be punished should the FIA's International Tribunal rule that it broke the rules.

With the FIA revealing that a ruling will not be made until tomorrow (Friday), Mercedes lawyer, Paul Harris (above with Ross Brawn), argued that should the tribunal find against his client a suitable punishment would be to forgo the Young Driver Test which takes place at Silverstone next month. Though, he added, a reprimand would be even better.

"If there is to be anything more severe a message can be sent as to sporting sanction but in the circumstances of Mercedes it should be suspended," he argued.

While possible sanctions could include a hefty fine, a race ban or even exclusion from the championship, Harris argues that banning his client from the three-day test at Silverstone would effectively maintain the status quo following its three day test in Barcelona.

"That is a three day test and it's a car test over which the teams have full control," he said. "It's a truly meaningful and beneficial test.

"If we are in this sort of territory then it is open to the International Tribunal to impose exclusions actual or suspended from events that are under the FIA jurisdiction such as the young driver test," he continued. "If you think there is a need to do that then the young driver test is an apt opportunity to impose a proportionate redress of what on this hypothesis is competitive imbalance."

It is widely thought that any finding by the tribunal that puts the Mercedes F1 team's parent company in a bad light could impact the German manufacturer's involvement in the sport.

Meanwhile, the continued negative publicity is said to be causing Pirelli to seriously consider whether it really needs the hassle.

Picture Credit: DPPI/FIA