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Formula 1 champion Red Bull Racing has admitted it uses its controversial ground clearance mechanism, which is illegal to do in park-and-hold – but clarified that the mechanism can only be used when the car is untied.
In the previous days, the English magazine Autosport publicized the existence of a mechanism that allows the height of the T-Tray and the floor to be changed from the asphalt, through the cockpit of the car of a certain team that it did not name. Read here the details: what the T-Tray is, how the mechanism works and how important the change in height from the ground is.
Autosport continued that with this mechanism the specific team could change the height from the ground while their cars were in park-ferme status, that is from the end of qualifying tests until the start of the race. This is clearly prohibited by the Regulations.
The FIA has been unable to find clear evidence of the team’s mechanism, but announced yesterday (17/10) that it will tighten policing on the issue at this three-day US GP (18-20/ 10).
Today it became officially known that the team that uses this mechanism is Red Bull Racing. The other teams already had this information, as both they and RBR are obliged to submit the designs of specific components (so-called “open data”) of their cars to the FIA’s central server.
The matter was discussed in the context of the Singapore GP between the FIA and the teams, but now with the English publication it has taken on a new dimension. The FIA contacted Red Bull Racing, who admitted the mechanism existed but went on to clarify that it did not use it while the RB20 was in park-fix.
In fact, the Milton Keynes team said the mechanism can only be used when the car is untied, in the garage.
A top RBR executive said that the mechanism “is available but not accessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to hit the track. In the extensive correspondence we have had with the FIA, this matter has come up and we have agreed a plan for the future.”he added.
In a question that – of course – Max Verstappen received in Austin on the subject, the Dutchman said: “It’s open data, right? Everyone can see them. For us it is just a tool that makes our life easier when the car is solved. It’s used to make adjustments, but once the car is fully assembled you can’t touch it.
So, nothing changes for us. When I read (the article) I thought it was something some other group was doing, and then I found out it was related to ours. It’s not something we’ve even mentioned in our meetings.”added the champion.
Sergio Perez added: “I remember last year we had a match here Sprint and we ended up at a height above the ground that was close to the moon. It was so big because we were worried about something like that happening to her Mercedes and to us“.
We recall that at last year’s US GP, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the race due to excessive wear of the wooden central part of the floor of their cars – meaning the floor came into frequent contact with the tarmac.
“We knew (the mechanism) existed but it was not available to us to use. I think it’s up to her FIA to draw a line and say whether it is legal or illegal. They control the sport, so it’s their responsibility to decide.” Perez concluded.
To this end, the FIA this three days in Austin will be keeping a close eye on this sector to ensure that no team operates in an illegal manner in this year’s 19th Formula 1 race day.
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