Zak Brown pinpoints what ‘doesn’t quite stack up’ in Red Bull’s front bib statement

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Zak Brown and McLaren are closely scrutinising Red Bull after revelations about a ride height device on the RB20. The reigning constructors’ champions agreed to change their car after a discussion with the FIA.

For the second weekend in succession, a top team is facing questions over compliance with the regulations. In Singapore last month, McLaren announced they would modify their low-downforce rear wing after complaints from their rivals.

Red Bull aired their grievances publicly, with Helmut Marko even telling the FIA to look at McLaren’s front wing as well. But now they find themselves on the defensive.

Christian Horner’s team have admitted that they have a tool located in the cockpit to change the ride height at the front of their car. Teams are forbidden from altering the set-up of their cars between qualifying and the race.

Red Bull’s competitors are trying to work out whether they’ve committed this offence. But they maintain that it is ‘inaccessible once the car is fully assembled’.

The FIA have ‘not received any indication’ that ‘any team’ have adjusted the front bib clearance (i.e. the ride height at the front). Theoretically, they could run it lower to the ground in qualifying, generating more downforce, and then raise it for the race when the higher fuel load weighs the car down.

Zak Brown spots the hole in Red Bull’s front bib explanation

F1 commentator Harry Benjamin said on Thursday that Brown wouldn’t ‘settle’ for Red Bull’s explanation. And sure enough, the McLaren CEO told Sky Sports F1 that their statement didn’t ‘stack up’.

He pointed out that they’re able to disassemble their car even in parc ferme conditions. And he’s also questioned why the FIA have asked them to seal a supposedly inaccessible part.

McLaren lead the constructors’ championship by 41 points heading into the Austin weekend. Meanwhile, Lando Norris is chasing down Max Verstappen, who’s 52 points ahead in the drivers’ standings.

“They chose their words very carefully, saying when the car is ‘fully assembled’,” Brown said. “But you’re allowed to not have the car fully assembled in parc ferme and when you’re working on driver comfort.

“Also what doesn’t quite stack up is the comment that you can’t modify it. Why does the FIA feel they need to put a seal on it if it’s not accessible post or during parc ferme?”

How Sergio Perez’s crashes have hurt Red Bull’s US Grand Prix upgrades

It would be especially embarrassing for Red Bull if they were found to be in breach of the rules. They’re in the midst of an eight-race winless run so it would be difficult to argue they’d gained a clear advantage.

That wouldn’t offer any mitigation, of course. The team will have limited time to reposition their device in the midst of the USA-Mexico-Brazil tripleheader.

There was talk of a ‘magical’ Red Bull upgrade for this weekend, but they only brought two new parts – a revised floor edge and engine cover. Pierre Wache and his technical team are trying to correct the development mistakes they made earlier in the year.

According to former F1 driver Robert Doornbos, Sergio Perez has dented Red Bull’s R&D budget. That’s because he’s been involved in a series of expensive accidents over the course of the year.