According to a report, Red Bull has been given the all-clear over its controversial front bib device after the FIA visited the outfit’s Formula 1 base in Milton Keynes.
Reports emerged in the United States Grand Prix paddock that Red Bull had a front bib height adjuster deep in the footwell of the RB20 and rivals such as McLaren feared the team had been using it illegally under parc ferme conditions.
Red Bull openly admitted that it has been a publically listed part for several years, that all teams have similar devices and that its device cannot be accessed when the car is fully assembled.
There was plenty of finger-pointing coming from the McLaren camp, particularly CEO Zak Brown who was pushing for the FIA to intervene with a thorough investigation.
Christian Horner meanwhile, claimed Red Bull’s rivals were suffering from “paranoia.”
However, amid the controversy at the Circuit of the Americas, the FIA’s Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis was fairly candid on the matter.
“Honestly, can I say with complete certainty about whether there’s ever been anything irregular, no,” he said, adding: “Can I say that the matter is closed? Yes, absolutely.”
This certainly didn’t satisfy Brown, who went as far as telling the Daily Mail that: “I’d like to see the senior leadership, the former chief mechanics and the current mechanics sign an affidavit stating that they have never used or have no knowledge of it being used.”
FIA make statement regarding Red Bull front bib device
The FIA has somewhat succumbed to Brown’s pressure as Autosport reports that officials have indeed travelled to Red Bull’s Milton Keynes headquarters to investigate the front bib device further.
The report states that the investigation saw FIA officials pour over data, design drawings and the RB20 in detail along with interviewing members of Red Bull staff.
Following its visit, the FIA was satisfied that the front bib device was never used in contradiction with F1’s regulations.
“The FIA regularly reviews and inspects the conformance to the technical, sporting and financial regulations of the F1 teams, and this may involve spot-checks at the circuit or inspections and investigations at the teams’ factories,” a statement from the governing body read.
“Similarly, it is the prerogative of the F1 teams to bring to the attention of the FIA any concerns about the compliance of their competitors’ with the regulations, and this phenomenon is clearly intensified in championships where there may be closer competition for the ultimate prize, as has been the case in 2024.
“The FIA takes any such issues very seriously and seeks to investigate them in addition to all the regular checks it carries out during a race weekend and beyond.
“As part of this assessment process, FIA technical representatives visited the Red Bull Racing headquarters to investigate in-depth recent allegations about their front floor design and its use.
“This investigation concluded that no breach has taken place, and therefore confirmed the position adopted by the FIA during the US Grand Prix in Austin.”
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