FIA director shares whether investigators can check Red Bull CCTV amid front bib questions

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Red Bull have been working closely with the FIA amid questions over a ride-height device on their RB20 car. McLaren are applying the most pressure, but the entire field will be watching closely.

Max Verstappen is 52 points clear of Lando Norris in the drivers’ championship as he guns for a fourth straight title. Red Bull are also holding out hope of fighting back in the constructors’, having fallen 41 points behind McLaren.

At the Singapore Grand Prix last time out, the papaya cars were at the centre of controversy. They agreed to modify their low-downforce rear wing after footage appeared to show the bodywork flexing to create a ‘mini DRS’ effect.

Helmut Marko told the FIA to investigate McLaren’s front wing as well as Red Bull looked to slow F1’s fastest team down. But it’s roles reversed in Austin.

Red Bull have a uniquely positioned mechanism to elevate the front of their car. The team say they haven’t used it during Parc Ferme conditions, which would be a serious breach of the regulations, and the FIA appear satisfied.

But Zak Brown has questioned Red Bull’s statement. He feels it was worded in a deliberately vague fashion and failed to ease rivals’ concerns.

Nikolas Tombazis explains why CCTV won’t resolve Red Bull front bib debate

Ahead of sprint qualifying, Sky Sports F1 interviewed Nikolas Tombazis, the single-seater director at the FIA. 2009 world champion Jenson Button asked him whether CCTV could settle the matter.

It would be advantageous if Red Bull had changed their ride height between practice and qualifying. They could run the car lower on a Saturday, improving downforce, before raising it overnight to protect their plank.

If the titanium skid block beneath the car wears excessively, it will result in disqualification. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc fell victim to this rule at the 2023 US Grand Prix.

Tombazis says footage from the pit lane at previous events would be of little use to the FIA. It wouldn’t show whether Red Bull had made any ‘millimetre’ tweaks.

“Honestly, no,” he told Button. “We are talking something like a couple of millimetres potentially. We’re talking very, very small numbers. I don’t think it’s something we could go and check. We don’t have any indication or proof about something untoward having happened before.”

Simon Lazenby challenges Christian Horner after what he said about McLaren

Shortly after FP1 at the Circuit of the Americas, FIA scrutineers were seen investigating the RB20. A leading mechanic showed them how the so-called front bib device worked.

Another Red Bull employee blocked the TV cameras as Ted Kravitz watched on in amazement. He ‘never thought’ Christian Horner’s team would be so transparent with the sport’s governing body.

Horner tried to dismiss the issue in an interview on Friday. He implied that McLaren were trying to change the narrative after the aforementioned rear-wing scandal.

Sky Sports host Simon Lazenby challenged Horner after his comments about the Woking outfit. While the most important discussions will take place behind the scenes, the media has inevitably become a battleground too.