Gary Anderson says Red Bull made one ‘crazy’ accusation about McLaren’s F1 car, ‘it’s just wrong…’

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Red Bull and McLaren have enjoyed a growing rivalry over recent seasons.

When Max Verstappen won his first drivers’ championship for Red Bull, McLaren were lucky if they could even finish on the podium.

Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton took each other out at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, which handed McLaren their first victory since 2012, with Daniel Ricciardo standing on the top step of the podium alongside Lando Norris.

Red Bull racked up 14 championship wins between 2005 and 2024, and before last season, McLaren only had one title to shout about when Hamilton dramatically won in 2008.

However, last season was a turning point that saw McLaren rise up the standings to win the constructors’ championship for the first time this century, and Red Bull’s stranglehold on the sport weakened.

Verstappen still managed to win his fourth consecutive title, but Norris and Oscar Piastri appear to be out of sight at the halfway stage of the 2025 campaign.

Unsurprisingly, Red Bull aren’t happy about this, and former designer Gary Anderson has said that one accusation the Anglo-Austrian team made about why McLaren are now so far should be considered ‘crazy’.

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Red Bull’s McLaren water in the tyres accusation was ‘crazy’, says Gary Anderson

Anderson was speaking on The Race F1 Tech Show about the progress McLaren have made in recent years, and explained: “McLaren, a few years ago, had their brake problem at the first race of the season in Bahrain, where they could hardly do a lap.

“And because of that, they had to step back a bit and, as a group, think about all this stuff, why did that happen, because that shouldn’t have happened.

“And they’ve probably, as I say, got better kit now than anybody in looking at that, be it simulation, as I say, or rigs.

“But, that’s helped them to keep the tyres more consistent as well. So longer term, they’ve taken the lessons, they’ve looked at what was wrong, looked in depth at how to fix it and actually used it maybe more beneficially than others have.

“But as I say, the other teams, you know, for example, Red Bull, they’re putting in 100 millilitres of water in each tyre to cool the tyre, I mean, why?

“Are they crazy? It’s just wrong. That’s just wasting your effort, time and the whole bit, to be honest. So, yeah, look at yourself. Don’t necessarily look at everybody else.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

McLaren investigated by the FIA this season after Red Bull accusations

Red Bull have been keen to do everything they can to discover why McLaren have been able to create such an impressive advantage over them in the last 12 months.

Former team principal Christian Horner couldn’t believe how closely Piastri was able to follow Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix, with Ferrari another team who have really struggled in dirty air.

Red Bull have been bombarding the FIA with complaints about McLaren’s car, as they attempt to find out what is making them so quick compared to their rivals.

Before the season even started, the FIA visited Ferrari and McLaren at the behest of Red Bull to further study their 2025 machines.

Ultimately, the FIA have found nothing wrong with the MCL39.

McLaren have had their car triple-checked for inconsistencies, but continue to dominate everyone else in the paddock.

All eyes are on whether Rob Marshall and Peter Prodromou can do the same thing again with McLaren’s 2026 car.