Zak Brown ‘will absolutely not settle’ for what Red Bull have said about front bib controversy

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Red Bull have been at the centre of controversy ahead of the United States Grand Prix. The reigning world champions have agreed to make changes to their car after a dialogue with the FIA.

The RB20 featured a device that could adjust the car’s ride height. They say this was inaccessible once the car was assembled.

However, rival teams were concerned that they could use it to alter their set-up between qualifying and the race. Under parc ferme rules, this is forbidden.

Teams want to run their cars as low to the ground as they can in qualifying to generate the maximum downforce. But they have to compromise with the race in mind.

If the ride height is too low in the race, they risk wearing out the underfloor plank. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from last year’s US GP because of excessive wear.

Red Bull are trying to defend the constructors’ title but have fallen 41 points behind McLaren. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is hoping to protect a 52-point lead over Lando Norris in the drivers’.

Harry Benjamin says Zak Brown and McLaren will be investigating Red Bull

Speaking on the Chequered Flag podcast for BBC Radio 5 Live, F1 commentator Harry Benjamin accused Red Bull of trying to sweep the issue ‘under the carpet’. But their rivals won’t let them kill the story.

McLaren and their CEO Zak Brown will be ‘scrutinising’ their closest competitors intensely. They will have to prove that Red Bull used the device prior to a Grand Prix this year.

That would have major repercussions for the championship, but it will also be extremely difficult to demonstrate. Red Bull maintain that they haven’t used the system to gain an unlawful advantage.

Benjamin said: “We know Zak Brown will absolutely not settle for ‘we’ve changed the way we do our procedures, thank you very much, let’s all sweep that under the carpet and move on’. This is probably not the end of this story, and the rest of the teams will absolutely be scrutinising this, particularly as McLaren are now in that hunt for the constructors’ championship.”

Have Red Bull copied McLaren with their United States Grand Prix upgrade?

Red Bull have introduced a major upgrade package for the race in Austin. It’s their last realistic hope of turning the constructors’ battle around.

On recent form, McLaren could seal the title with multiple races to spare. They have the fastest car and have also benefitted from Sergio Perez’s struggles.

Speaking in Singapore, Helmut Marko called for the FIA to investigate McLaren’s front wing. This was after the Woking outfit agreed to modify their low-downforce rear wing, which was generating a ‘mini DRS’ effect.

If the controversial front wing has been deemed lawful, then Pierre Wache and co. will likely copy it, such is the nature of F1. However, Peter Windsor has warned Red Bull that this approach ‘never ever produces a result’.