AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Formula One champions Red Bull have made changes to their car after discussions with the governing FIA, the team said on Thursday.
The news came after the FIA issued a statement in response to concern from some teams about a possible exploitation of rules restricting work on a car between the start of qualifying and the race.
So-called “parc ferme” conditions prevent any such setup changes but there has been speculation a team might still be able to do this without detection via a device to adjust the ride height.
A senior Red Bull representative confirmed the existence of a device.
“Yes, it exists 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 team member said.
No further details were given.
Teams would ideally want to run their car closer to the ground to be as fast as possible in qualifying and then higher in race conditions.
The FIA statement emphasised that any adjustment to the (car’s) front bib clearance during parc ferme conditions is strictly prohibited by the regulations.
“While we have not received any indication of any team employing such a system, the FIA remains vigilant in our ongoing efforts to enhance the policing of the sport,” it added.
“As part of this, we 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.”
Red Bull, dominant last season, are lagging 41 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ standings with six rounds remaining including three sprints.
McLaren’s Lando Norris is 52 points adrift of Red Bull’s triple champion Max Verstappen after closing the gap from 78 at the August break.
The Briton’s Australian team mate Oscar Piastri said he had read about the device.
“I didn’t know that Red Bull admitted to it,” he told reporters.
“We’re obviously pushing the boundaries of the technical regulations, everyone is, you know, that’s what makes F1 F1. But from what I’ve heard and been told, something like this is not pushing the boundaries, it’s clearly breaking them.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
