Omnisport

Williams have refuted claims made by Red Bull team boss Christian Horner that their complaints led to Formula One introducing engine parity in 2018.

Ahead of the new season the FIA issued a directive that stated all engines should run to the same specifications, whether they be run by a manufacturer or a customer.

Horner suggested Williams had led calls for the new ruling to be brought in due to their experiences with their Mercedes power unit, the Red Bull boss telling the media to "ask Claire Williams" when discussing the issue.

However, Williams have dismissed those claims and insist they are confident the engines they receive from Mercedes are not limited.

"Contrary to comments made recently in the press, we refute any suggestion that we have questioned the parity of the power units provided by Mercedes-AMG HPP," Claire Williams said, in quotes released on the team's Twitter account.

"We are absolutely confident that the power units used by Mercedes, Force India and ourselves are identical in terms of both hardware and software.

"We have an excellent professional and personal relationship with Mercedes, and our focus is firmly on continuing the good work that we have started as we prepare for the final test in Barcelona this week ahead of the new season."

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff denied Horner's claims on Sunday, telling Autosport: "I don't think any of our customers was pushing for it.

"It's not relevant for us, because the rules have been in place for a while that you must supply the customers with the same hardware and software from a power unit standpoint, and we've always done that."