17/10/2024
NEWS STORY
Red Bull has admitted to changing its car following the FIA's warning over changes being made to ride heights after qualifying.
Ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix the FIA issued a statement following claims that an unnamed team was adjusting the bib clearance between the end of qualifying and the race.
Said team was said to be circumventing the rule which forbids changes to the car between qualifying and the race other than to the front wing.
It was claimed that a team was changing the ride height from the low-fuel set-up required for qualifying to one better suited to a full fuel load at the start of the race.
While the regulations stipulate that "it must be clear from physical inspection that changes cannot be made without the use of tools", it was claimed that the rule was being circumvented by means of a device within the cockpit.
"Yes, (the device) exists," admitted a Red Bull spokesman, "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," they added.
The claims first surfaced over the Singapore weekend, after rivals became aware of such a device courtesy of the FIA's open-source system, which is open to all the teams.
After difficult outings in Italy and Azerbaijan, Singapore saw Max Verstappen back on the podium, albeit one step lower than Lando Norris with whom he is battling for the title.