Red Bull has reportedly filed a complaint with the FIA over the legality of the brake ducts on McLaren’s 2024 Formula 1 car, according to Auto Motor und Sport
The current championship leader, Red Bull, has met stiff opposition from McLaren in recent rounds, with Lando Norris winning in Miami and going toe-to-toe with Max Verstappen at Imola, Montreal, the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone.
A key part of the Norris/Verstappen duels has been the McLaren driver’s ability to maintain tyre life over a stint, allowing him to attack the Red Bull late in grands prix.
Red Bull’s complaint with the FIA concerns its belief that McLaren had left extra holes open in the brake drums at the front and rear of its MCL38 to aid in cooling the tyre in race conditions.
The extra hole is permitted in practice to allow for sensor equipment, but must be covered during races, Red Bull’s complaint alleges this has not been the case in multiple events.
According to the report, the FIA investigated the matter, but found that the holes in the brake drums were covered in the last two Formula 1 events at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone.
At the former, Norris exhibited a greater tyre advantage in the final stint of the Austrian GP, closing down Verstappen after a bungled Red Bull pit-stop in a matter of a few laps before the two tangled.
Reports haven’t specified whether McLaren only sought to cover the holes in its brake ducts once Red Bull had filed its complaint, but it would appear the FIA has declared it an open and shut case.
Still, the nature of these proceedings shows just how dramatically the Formula 1 pecking order has shifted from last season to the 2024 campaign.
Yes, Red Bull is still the championship leader, but the incredible margin it held over its competitors in 2023 has all but vanished.
Six different drivers have won a Grand Prix in the opening half of the 2024 season, representing four teams, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes.
At Silverstone, Verstappen late charge to stop Lewis Hamilton from becoming the sixth different winner of the campaign ultimately came up short in a race that both McLaren drivers ultimately could have won.
Mercedes has joined the party late, but it is now clear several teams are in winning contention at each Grand Prix and McLaren has been Red Bull’s most consistent challenger.
This has come amid a torrid run of form for Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull and it’s no wonder the team from Milton Keynes has turned to non-racing means to steal an advantage away from its Woking-based rival.
