By Alan Baldwin
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) -Formula One champions Red Bull have made changes to their car after discussions with the governing FIA, the team said at the U.S. Grand Prix on Thursday following concern from rivals.
The news came after the FIA issued a statement in response to speculation about a possible exploitation of rules restricting work on a car between the start of qualifying and the race.
So-called "parc ferme" conditions prevent any such setup changes but there have been whispers that a team might still be able to do this without detection via a device to adjust the ride height.
A senior Red Bull representative confirmed the existence of a device.
"Yes, it exists although it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to run. In the numerous correspondence we have with the FIA, this part came up and we have agreed a plan going forward," the team member said.
No further details were given and drivers Max Verstappen, the triple world champion who leads the standings, and Sergio Perez were adamant there had been no performance advantage gained.
"There has been nothing that we were doing. We never actually talked about it. It was impossible," Perez told reporters at Austin's Circuit of the Americas.
"I knew it existed but it was not available to us."
Verstappen said he had first thought media reports were referring to what another team might be doing.
"For us it was just an easy tool when the parts were off," he explained. "It was to adjust, but once the whole car is built together you cannot touch it. So for us it doesn’t change (anything)."
RACE CONDITIONS
Teams would ideally want to run their car closer to the ground to be as fast as possible in qualifying and then higher in race conditions.
The FIA statement emphasised that any adjustment to the (car's) front bib clearance during parc ferme conditions is strictly prohibited by the regulations.
"While we have not received any indication of any team employing such a system, the FIA remains vigilant in our ongoing efforts to enhance the policing of the sport," it added.
"As part of this, we have implemented procedural adjustments to ensure that front bib clearance cannot be easily modified. In some cases, this may involve the application of a seal to provide further assurance of compliance."
Red Bull, dominant last season, are 41 points behind McLaren in the constructors' standings with six rounds remaining.
McLaren's Lando Norris is 52 points adrift of Verstappen after closing the gap from 78 at the August break.
The Briton's Australian team mate Oscar Piastri said he had read about the device.
"I didn't know that Red Bull admitted to it," he told reporters.
"We're obviously pushing the boundaries of the technical regulations, everyone is, you know, that's what makes F1 F1. But from what I've heard and been told, something like this is not pushing the boundaries, it's clearly breaking them."
Speculation about teams bending the rules is nothing new to Formula One and reflective of the tight title battle.
At the previous race in Singapore, it was McLaren in the spotlight with the talk of their rear wing flexing at speed during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix won by their Australian driver Oscar Piastri.
McLaren shrugged it all off and won comfortably in Singapore with Norris.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
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