The back-and-forth technical accusations between Formula 1‘s top teams continue with Red Bull accusing McLaren of using water to cool its tyres from the inside.
McLaren courted controversy in Baku with its ‘mini-DRS’ wing, which it was eventually forced to abandon by the FIA.
That saga was soon followed by the uncovering of Red Bull’s front-bib adjuster, which it was forced to seal after mounting pressure upon the FIA from rival teams, especially McLaren.
Now the two outfits are locking horns again with Red Bull imploring the FIA to probe McLaren and others for using a tyre cooling trick in sessions.
Autosport reports that a number of teams have discovered a method to inject liquid via valves into the tyres prior to them being fitted to the car in a race.
McLaren has been praised for its tyre preservation on multiple occasions in 2024 and the theory behind this obscure liquid injection method is that it helps limit thermal degradation.
Red Bull’s suspicions allegedly arose after the Singapore Grand Prix, whereupon wheel rims were observed with liquid inside them.
Red Bull sceptical over McLaren performance swing
Christian Horner accused rival outfits of “paranoia” over Red Bull’s front-bib adjuster, but in his comments to Autosport, he lent into that state of mind himself.
“If one was a sceptic and somewhat paranoid, you say something’s changed,” he said.
“Because even when we’ve gone back to the configuration of the car that, for example, we had in China, we still have some of the same issues that we have experienced.
“But, in saying that, it changed for everybody, potentially. But I’ve never in a season seen a swing so exaggerated.”
FIA looking into tyre cooling
“The tyres used by all drivers during the Sprint today have been checked,” read the scrutineering report after the Sao Paulo GP Sprint.
Reports indicate that FIA Single Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis is in contact with Pirelli and teams at Interlagos to investigate the matter further.
2024 is a season that has been dominated by technical skulduggery as of late as McLaren and Red Bull are at loggerheads on track.
Despite having failed to win a GP since June and slipping to third in the Constructors’ standings, Red Bull leads the Drivers’ championship with Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman has a 44-point lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris ahead of the Sao Paulo GP, with 112 points left to play for this season.
As Red Bull has floundered over recent months, McLaren has prospered, winning four of the last eight Grands Prix.
READ MORE – Max Verstappen: Red Bull had the pace to challenge McLaren in Brazil F1 Sprint
