McLaren hints at Red Bull cheating as FIA scrutinizes illegal device
Oct.18 - McLaren's two drivers have strongly hinted that Red Bull has been caught out in a clear-cut case of cheating.
As Formula 1 congregated in Austin on Thursday, word spread around the paddock that multiple teams were accusing a rival of fielding an illegal device on the floor 'T-tray' or 'bib' enabling the car's ride height to be adjusted from the cockpit in parc ferme.
Red Bull admitted it is the accused team.
"Yes, it exists," a source at the team confirmed, "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 FIA said that while changing the ride height in parc ferme is "strictly prohibited", the federation has "no evidence" any team has actually been doing that.
However, the governing body added that it has made "procedural adjustments to ensure that the height of the bib cannot be easily changed".
Red Bull has an updated 2024 car for the US GP, including a new floor.
"Will they improve now due to the updates?" wondered Russian commentator Alexey Popov. "Or will they fall even further behind because of this (T-tray) story?"
Lando Norris, chasing down Max Verstappen's 52 point lead with six races to go, admitted he has "no idea" if Red Bull used the offending device illegally.
"I don't think it really will change anything in the scheme of things," said Norris. "But I think it's good that the FIA are doing such a thing.
"There's a difference between black and white stuff like this, and pushing the boundaries in Formula 1 by creating new things and innovating within the space that you're allowed to innovate in."
Teammate Oscar Piastri went even further: "From what I've heard, or what I've been told, something like this is not pushing the boundaries, it is clearly breaking them."
Seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton, however, is not similarly ready to accuse Red Bull of cheating.
"I think our sport is all about innovation and Red Bull are leaders in that area," said the Mercedes driver. "All the teams look at the regulations and try to play around with them in a clever way to get the maximum advantage.
"Even if that means pushing the envelope a little bit."
As for Verstappen, he says the device was purely a way for the team to adjust the right height "on a disassembled car".
"Once the car is assembled, we can't touch anything," added the Dutchman. "We didn't even discuss this issue at the briefing. I don't care about the story.
"It doesn't change anything for me. Everything is fine. We have new stuff here, and let's see how it goes."
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