Long-time Renault engineer Bob Bell called the approval of McLaren's controversial aerodynamic trick by the Bahrain stewards a "joke" and indicated his team may file a protest.

Asked by Britain's BBC radio about the monocoque air inlet that is triggered by the drivers' left knee on McLaren's MP4-25, Bell said that McLaren has "driven a concourse through the spirit of the regulations," adding that it was a "joke" and "nonsense" that the stewards had approved what he termed a "completely illegal" device. Asked whether Renault would file a protest, he refused to comment.