McLaren reveal sources of FIA ‘questions’ over Red Bull ride height legality

Red Bull may wish to draw a line under ‘Bibgate’, putting it down to rivals’ “paranoia”, but Zak Brown still has questions such as why is a seal needed if Red Bull cannot access it in Parc Fermé conditions.

Ahead of Formula 1’s return from the autumn break with the United States Grand Prix, it was reported that one unnamed team was suspected of exploiting a ride height adjustment system on their cars using the bib, or T-Tray.

McLaren chief: Having the ability to do it raises questions

According to the initial report, the device was spotted in the open-source documents that the teams furnish to the FIA with motorsport’s governing body confirming to PlanetF1.com that “any adjustment to the front bib clearance during Parc Fermé conditions is strictly prohibited by the regulations.”

That’s because adjusting the bib, or T-tray, a key aerodynamic component located beneath the car, affects airflow and how air enters the tunnels under the car’s floor which changes the car’s downforce.

Red Bull held up their hands, revealing they have the system but that it cannot be accessed under Parc Fermé conditions

“You’ve got to have the pedals, other panels, and pipework out in order to be able to get to it,” team boss Christian Horner told Sky F1, adding: “The FIA is happy with it. [It’s] just to satisfy perhaps some paranoia elsewhere in the paddock .

“If you think that there’s some kind of handbrake or lever that the drivers can activate with a low, medium, or high setting, I’m really sorry to disappoint you!”

But what he calls paranoia, McLaren chief Brown calls questions that need to be “unpicked”.

“Typically being able to run a car lower is a competitive advantage. It makes the car quicker, most of the time,” he said in Austin. “The FIA, who I think have done a very good job of identifying an element from a single race team, from what we can see, from having looked at all the open source components, it’s the only team that has the ability to adjust the ride height from inside the cockpit.

“Whether they have or haven’t, I have no idea, but having the ability to do it raises questions.

“It’s very clear in the regulations and it’s a material breach that if you modify your race car, anything that you didn’t get permission on or driver comfort is very much against regulations. So they’ve decided from what I’ve read, to put a seal on it.

“At the same time, I’ve heard from the team that you can’t adjust it when the car is fully race-prepped. The car is not always fully race-prepped in Parc Fermé and Sunday morning. So I think that needs to be unpicked.

“And why do you need to put a seal on something that you can’t get to in Parc Fermé or post-Parc Fermé conditions. So I still have questions that I need to better understand.”

More on Red Bull’s adjustable bib

👉 Front bib and T-tray explained: The F1 car part under suspicion in new tech row

👉 Explained: Why Red Bull’s adjustable bib isn’t being punished by the FIA

Zak Brown: There should be consequences

For this weekend’s Grand Prix in Austin, the FIA told PlanetF1.com they 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.”

Asked whether he felt that went far enough, Brown replied: “I don’t know because I’m not the most technical person in our racing team. I’ve got confidence that the FIA will resolve the issue.

“I understand they’re having to modify and change their racing car for upcoming races. I’m not exactly sure when. So I’m confident in the FIA’s ability to address it moving forward.

“And our questions are a bit more around what has maybe historically happened in understanding if it’s been used in an inappropriate manner.”

And if it was used when it shouldn’t have been under Parc Fermé conditions, Brown believes the FIA needs to come down on Red Bull for breaching the regulations.

“I think if you breach the Parc Fermé rules that’s a massive breach, and so there should be consequences,” he added. “If that has happened, and that would be ultimately up to the FIA,

“We’ve seen it in sport before. We’ve seen it in our sport. We’ve seen it in baseball. We’ve seen it in football. You know, these things do happen, so just put our trust in the FIA to address the issue moving forward.

“We’re just asking questions, but it’s up to the FIA as our regulator, who do a great job, to get on top of it and come up with a solution that is transparent and is satisfactory to all the teams. I think I’m not alone in our concerns for what we have seen and heard.”

He, however, doesn’t believe Red Bull’s device allowed the drivers to play with the settings from the cockpit.

“No. No,” he said. “They’d have to have very long arms to do that.

Read next: Lando Norris recovery, Ferrari joy and more US Grand Prix sprint race predictions