Red Bull to change car after FIA discussions

AUSTIN — Formula 1 champions Red Bull will make changes to their car after the FIA issued a statement to all teams outlawing devices that allow for easy adjustment of the car’s ride height under parc ferme conditions.

The news came after rivals raised concerns at the Singapore Grand Prix that such a device would offer a competitive advantage and be in breach of parc ferme regulations, which strictly limit setup changes between qualifying and the race to front wing flap adjustments only.

A senior Red Bull representative confirmed the existence of a device on the RB20 driven by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez and that the team was working with the FIA to ensure it is fully compliant.

“Yes, it exists although it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to run,” the team member said.

“In the numerous correspondence we have with the FIA, this part came up and we have agreed a plan going forward.”

Teams ideally want to run their car closer to the ground to gain a performance advantage in qualifying and then higher in race conditions to avoid damage when the car is filled with fuel.

If a device existed to easily change the height of the front of the floor, known as the “bib” or “tea tray”, it would allow teams to have the best of both worlds and potentially go undetected by the FIA.

An FIA statement emphasised that any adjustment to the clearance of the car’s front bib 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.”

By putting a seal over the device, which is tool-operated by a mechanic, Red Bull will not be able to use it without the FIA knowing.

Rivals became aware of the device because its existence was visible in open-source documents provided by all teams to the FIA about certain components on their cars.

Verstappen also confirmed the existence of it, but said it is only there to allow easier setup changes when the car is stripped down and being worked on.

“It’s open source, right? Everyone can see it,” he said. “For us, it was just an easy tool when the parts were off, it was easy to adjust.

“But once the whole car is built together, you can’t touch it. So for us, it doesn’t change… When I read the story, I was like thinking about other teams doing it, and then I found out it was related to our team.

“We never even mentioned it or anything. It was just an easier tool to adjust the ride height.”

After dominating the 2023 season, Red Bull are lagging 41 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ standings with six rounds remaining including three sprint races.

McLaren’s Lando Norris is 52 points adrift of Verstappen after closing the gap from 78 at the August break.

Norris’ teammate 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.”