In the lead-up to the United States Grand Prix, a lot of talk has been surrounding Red Bull and a device on their car that allegedly adjusts the front bib ride height. Concerns were raised about a potential breach of Formula 1’s parc fermé rules, which prohibit teams from altering car setups between qualifying and the race. However, after discussions and inspections, the FIA has deemed the issue a “non-story.”
The controversy came to light when McLaren called for a full investigation into the device, questioning whether Red Bull was gaining an unfair advantage by adjusting the ride height. McLaren CEO Zak Brown emphasized that if proven guilty, there should be “massive consequences.” In response to these claims, the FIA inspected Red Bull’s car and added a seal to the front bib area to prevent any modifications during parc fermé.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner addressed the situation for the first time. Dismissing the accusations as mere paddock gossip, he attributed the scrutiny to the actions of their competitors, saying the FIA had acted only because of “a bit of moaning from one of our rivals.”
“It’s been publicly available for the last three years. The FIA are happy with it. I think just to satisfy perhaps some paranoia elsewhere in the paddock,” Horner said.
Horner didn’t shy away when asked whether the issue surrounding Red Bull’s ride height device was a “non-story.” He suggested that rival teams might be trying to shift focus from their own challenges. “Sometimes to distract perhaps from what’s going on in your own house, sometimes you try and light a fire somewhere else,” Horner said.
The Briton brought forward McLaren’s rear wing flap controversy following the Baku weekend and the leadup to the Singapore GP suggesting there was “an awful lot of noise” about it.
Regarding the FIA’s decision to place seals on the front bib of the car, Horner showed no concern, emphasising that the team followed the regulations. “They can seal every movable joint on the car because parc fermé dictates you can’t change anything, and that’s what parc fermé is there for,” he said
Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s single-seater technical director, also weighed in. He confirmed that the FIA had been alerted to the device during the Singapore GP but found no evidence of any breach.
“We’ve done all that’s needed to stop there being any accusations,” Tombazis stated, adding, “We’re talking really something like a couple of millimetres or something like that potentially.”
Tombazis acknowledged the tension in the championship, noting that the tight competition often leads to increased scrutiny of each other’s cars. He stated that it is impossible to definitively close discussions about past races or any insinuations between teams and added, “In the present situation, we believe it’s a non-story, yes.”
He clarified that there was no proof of Red Bull tampering with the device in previous races, and the FIA decided not to investigate further. Tombazis concluded by saying, “But as I say, we don’t have any indication or proof or anything like that about something untoward having happened before.”
In response to the scrutiny, Red Bull showcased the device to FIA officials during the Austin weekend. A senior Red Bull mechanic detailed how the mechanism operates, clarifying that once the car is fully assembled, it cannot be accessed or adjusted. FIA officials closely examined the front of the car during this demonstration to confirm compliance with parc fermé rules.
Meanwhile, the Milton Keynes outfit secured the sprint pole with Max Verstappen at the helm, aiming to rebound from a mid-season slump and reclaim the constructors’ lead. With the FIA ruling the matter closed, Red Bull can now refocus on their championship battle.
