FIA’s Tombazis: Red Bull device is non-story

The FIA’s head of single seaters, Nikolas Tombazis, said the controversy around Red Bull’s car at this weekend’s U.S. Grand Prix will be a non-story now the governing body has intervened.

In the build up to this weekend’s race at the Circuit of the Americas, Red Bull confirmed a device exists under the pedals of its car that effectively allows the front ride height to be changed.

No other team is believed to have such a device and it has led to speculation that it could be used to secretly alter the ride height between qualifying and the race when the car is under parc ferme conditions.

Set-up changes under parc ferme are strictly limited to front wing angle and tyre pressures, with FIA scrutineers and CCTV in place to make sure teams do not attempt any alterations.

Tombazis said there was no evidence Red Bull had done anything illegal and believes the introduction of a seal covering the device means any attempt to do so in the future will be easily detected.

“At the previous race, it was pointed out to us that certain designs could allow a change of the height of the front of the car, which some people call a bib, in parc ferme,” Tombazis told Sky Sports.

“We didn’t have any indication or any proof that anybody was doing something like that, that would be clearly illegal under parc ferme regulations.

“But as I said, we didn’t have any clear indication that somebody was doing such a thing, so we said from this race onwards, then there must be no possibility to do such a thing at all.

“So if a team has a design that would allow a quick change of that height, then it had to be sealed so they could not have access in parc ferme. I think all teams have adhered to that, and as far as we’re concerned, that’s reasonably under control.”

Asked if the controversy is now a non-story, he added: “I think it’s certainly not a story from now on. I think we’ve done all that’s needed to stop there being any accusations, and then of course it is a tight championship, and people get rather excited about each other’s cars.

“So we can’t definitively close the previous races or any insinuations between teams in a very competitive environment, but in the present situation, we believe it’s a non-story, yes.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner played down the significance of the device, saying other setup changes would actually be easier to make under parc ferme conditions.

“Every car has a tool that they can adjust the front of the bib, what we call the front of the floor being the bib,” Horner said. “Ours is located at the front, in front of the foot well. It’s been there I think for over three years.

“You’ve got to have the pedals out, other panels and pipework out, in order to be able to get to it. It’s like any other adjustment on the car.

“It would be easier to adjust a rear rollbar than it is to get to that component. It’s all part of the packaging in the front end of the chassis.”

After McLaren CEO Zak Brown raised the issue during a news conference earlier in the day, Horner said Red Bull’s rivals had provided the catalyst for the FIA’s actions.

“I think there’s been a bit of moaning from one of our rivals,” Horner added. “And it’s the FIA’s job to look into these things.

“It’s on a list of the open source components; 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.”