Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has raised serious concerns over a device implemented by Red Bull. The Milton Keynes squad’s RB20 featured a piece of equipment that allegedly allowed for adjusting the ride height within parc ferme conditions, a practice that is prohibited under F1 regulations. Despite the modifications Red Bull carried out following discussions with the FIA, no breach of regulations was formally confirmed. This decision, however, has not sat well with some of their competitors.
McLaren, among several other teams, initially voiced apprehensions regarding the legality of Red Bull’s device. While Red Bull dismissed these concerns as mere “paranoia” from their competitors, Toto Wolff did not shy away from criticizing the situation.
Speaking to Motorsport, Wolff said the following:
“My view is, from the distance of what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, it’s outrageous.
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“I think we’re all designing parts that are F1 standard, and that are to the highest specifications that are within the regulations.
“Sometimes on things like aero elasticity, you would probably try to go as far as you can — but there’s other things overall and certain parts where you would question why they exist. Why would you design such a thing and put two marks on it for two positions? Is that the precise decision-making in F1?”
Parc ferme regulations are stringent, designed to prevent any modifications to a car once Qualifying begins. The suspicion that Red Bull’s device offers an adjustment mechanism that violates these principles has piqued the interest and concern of competitors as you’d expect.
Meanwhile, the FIA, the governing body for international motorsport, examined the situation and subsequently declared the matter closed. The FIA confirmed that Red Bull had not violated any technical regulations.
However, Toto Wolff remains unconvinced.
“I think the leadership of the FIA is going to look at that and say, ‘What are we doing with this?'”
The Austrian’s criticism extended further when he sarcastically commented on Red Bull’s explanation to the FIA.
“I really like that when they put this real broom in the car to demonstrate that that is the only way of that getting changed! I wonder how long it took them to make this up, and to stick it in there.”
As the paddock moves to the Mexican Grand Prix, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen continues to lead the drivers’ championship, boasting an impressive 54-point advantage over McLaren’s Lando Norris. But McLaren lead Red Bull in the Constructors Standings and Ferrari are sat close behind.
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