RED BULL CONTROVERSIAL FRONT BIB ADJUSTMENTS

In the first investigation, the FIA has cleared Red Bull of any rule-breaking after looking into claims that the team was adjusting its car’s ride height between qualifying and the race, which is against F1 regulations.

The investigation began before the United States Grand Prix, when a device on Red Bull’s RB20 car, known as the T-tray, was found to possibly change its front clearance.

Under FIA rules, car ride height cannot be changed between qualifying and the race as it is under so called parc fermé regulations, when F1 teams can’t make any adjustments to the car, except for the front wing.

Rival teams raised concerns after the device was noticed in Singapore and shared design documents with the FIA that quickly made changes to prevent any easy adjustments to the T-tray, even adding a seal to make sure teams follow the rules. This was put in place immediately for the Austin race.

After the weekend in Texas, the FIA also visited Red Bull’s headquarters in Milton Keynes and carefully inspected their cars, finding everything in line with regulations.

MCLAREN TYRE-COOLING TRICK SUSPICION

The second investigation involved McLaren, after Red Bull raised concerns at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, that the team from Woking and possibly others were using water in their tyres to reduce heat, helping Pirelli’s tyres last longer.

However, the FIA has found no evidence that McLaren or any other team breached regulations by allegedly using water or other liquid to cool their tyres during races.

Pirelli’s motorsport director, Mario Isola, noted in Brazil that they hadn’t found any unusual data from their tyre analysis but would assist the FIA as needed. After a detailed look, the FIA confirmed it was satisfied no team had violated the regulations.

In an official statement, the FIA clarified that its investigation during the Brazil weekend found no evidence of any rule breach and considers the matter closed but will continue to monitor the situation in detail.