With six races to go, the fight for the F1 title is not only played on the asphalt, where Max Verstappen will have to push hard to maintain its 52-point advantage over Lando Norris. Another battle, also bloody, is being elucidated in the factories and the computers of the engineers, who barely rested during these three weeks of break in search of some improvement in performance. No matter how small, it can be decisive. So the tension is already palpable in the paddock of the Circuit of the Americas, where the World Championship resumes this weekend amid accusations and suspicions.
In the last few hours, the FIA had learned that a team had been using a blatant trick to illegally modify its car. And that team is none other than Red Bullwhich has confirmed the existence of a device to alter the height of its keel. As announced on Wednesday Motorsportthis trick would allow the height of the car to be adjusted between Saturday and Sunday. In that period, called Parc Fermé (parc ferme), which separates the classification from the race.
Still, a spokesperson for the team led by Christian Horner He denied having committed any irregularity: «Yes, it exists, although it is inaccessible once the car is completely assembled and ready to race. In the numerous correspondence we have with the FIA, this part came up and we have agreed on a plan to move forward,” he explained late on Thursday in statements to the British BBC. That plan, obviously, involves changing the design of the RB20 at the Circuit of the Americas.
What goes from Saturday to Sunday
During the hours of Parc Fermé, No mechanic can touch the aerodynamic configuration of the car, except the front wing. However, according to the aforementioned leaks, the engineers at Christian Horner They would have mounted a mechanism in the cabin that could be activated secretly from the commissioners. A change in height can exponentially increase the performance of the vehicle. If so, on Saturday they could start with a very aggressive configuration to attack the return with little fuel and adjust on Sunday to the needs of a car with 100 kilos of gasoline.
An FIA spokesperson said this Thursday that they had “applied adjustments to the procedure to ensure that the keel clearance cannot be easily modified,” this source added. Thanks to the adjustments in this piece, called T-Tray, the pilot would not only step on the curbs during the qualy without fear of damaging the ground, but it would also optimize the ideal operating window of the tires during the almost two hours of the race.
The discovery occurred thanks to the fact that the Austrians were forced to bring to light the design details of this element on the FIA servers. Thus, this device had a series of settings that could be adjusted by a mechanic to help alter the height of the suspension.
“A simple tool”
The component itself would not be outside the regulations, since this action would be allowed during free sessions. However, it would not be permitted if the modifications were made in Parc Fermé. Apparently there were already talks between the FIA and the teams during the Singapore GP. As a consequence, the body chaired by Mohammed ben Sulayem He spoke to Red Bull before the race to make sure they weren’t doing anything illegal.
Likewise, Verstappen was forced to offer explanations during the official press conference on Thursday: «It was just a simple tool to adjust things. When I read the information I thought it was about some other team and then I found out that it was related to us,” argued the three-time world champion, while defending that this matter had not even been discussed during the briefings in his garage.
In any case, intrigue and suspicion have settled in Austin, where just a year ago Lewis Hamilton y Charles Leclerc They were already disqualified for excessive wear on the plankthe wooden plank installed on the flat bottom. Precisely that area that is now the subject of controversy. Since the 2022 regulation change, with the reintroduction of ground effect, the flat bottom has become the main source of downforce. And engineers are racking their brains to multiply their efficiency.
Three wins in a row
As strange as it may seem, during the aforementioned 2023 US GP, the stewards did not even investigate George Russell y Carlos Sainzdespite occupying the same seats that had caused their respective teammates in Mercedes and Ferrari to lose their podium place. That Sunday, Verstappen would sign his closest victory of the course, a victim of overheating of the brakes and the degradation of his tires. Now it remains to be seen if Red Bull learned something from all that and if it has managed to evolve its RB-20.
After several races far away from Norris, Mad Max He was able to get back on track in Singapore, a circuit where he had never felt comfortable. This weekend should be a relief for those who have already won the last three races on that same bumpy asphalt. Norris, on the other hand, has no room for more errors. The pace of his MCL-38, irresistible since June on all types of routes, is his best asset.