With six races to go before the season ends, the fight for the F1 title is not only on the track, where Max Verstappen must push himself to maintain his 52-point lead over Lando Norris. Another fierce battle is being fought in the factories and engineers' computers, which have hardly rested during the three-week break in search of any performance improvements. Even the smallest improvement can be decisive. So, tension is already palpable in the paddock of the Circuit of the Americas, where the World Championship resumes this weekend amid accusations and suspicions.
In recent hours, the FIA had received information that a team was using a blatant trick to illegally modify their car. That team is none other than Red Bull, which has confirmed the existence of a device to alter the height of their chassis. As reported by Motorsport on Wednesday, this trick would allow adjusting the car's height between Saturday and Sunday, during the Parc Fermé period that separates qualifying from the race.
Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the team led by Christian Horner denied any wrongdoing: "Yes, it exists, although it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to race. In the extensive correspondence we have with the FIA, this part came up, and we have agreed on a plan to move forward," explained a spokesperson to the BBC late on Thursday. This plan, obviously, involves changing the design of the RB20 at the Circuit of the Americas.
From Saturday to Sunday
During the Parc Fermé hours, no mechanic can touch the car's aerodynamic configuration, except for the front wing. However, according to the leaked information, Christian Horner's engineers had installed a mechanism in the cockpit that could be activated discreetly from the stewards. A change in height can exponentially increase the vehicle's performance. If true, on Saturday they could start with a very aggressive setup to attack the lap with little fuel and adjust on Sunday to the needs of a car with 100 kilos of fuel.
An FIA spokesperson stated on Thursday that they had "made adjustments to the procedure to ensure that the clearance of the chassis cannot be easily modified." Thanks to the adjustments to this piece, called the T-Tray, the driver would not only be able to ride the curbs during qualifying without fear of damaging the floor but also optimize the ideal tire operating window during the nearly two-hour race.
The discovery was made because the Austrians were forced to reveal the design details of this element on the FIA servers. Thus, this device had a series of configurations that could be adjusted by a mechanic to help alter the suspension height.
The component itself would not be outside the regulations, as this action would be allowed during free practice sessions. However, it would not be allowed if the modifications were made in the Parc Fermé. Apparently, there were already discussions between the FIA and the teams during the Singapore GP. As a result, the organization led by Mohammed ben Sulayem spoke with Red Bull before the race to ensure they were not doing anything illegal.
Additionally, Verstappen was forced to offer explanations during the official press conference on Thursday: "It was just a simple tool to adjust things. When I read the reports, I thought it was related to some other team, and then I found out it was related to us," argued the three-time world champion, while defending that this matter had not even been discussed during the briefings in his garage.
In any case, intrigue and suspicions have taken hold in Austin, where just a year ago Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified for excessive wear on the plank, the wooden plank installed on the floor. Precisely that area that is now at the center of controversy. Since the rule change in 2022, with the reintroduction of ground effect, the floor has become the main source of aerodynamic load. And engineers are racking their brains to maximize its efficiency.
Oddly enough, during the mentioned US GP 2023, the stewards did not even investigate George Russell and Carlos Sainz, despite occupying the same seats that had caused their respective teammates at Mercedes and Ferrari to lose their podium spots. That Sunday, Verstappen would secure his most hard-fought victory of the season, falling victim to overheating brakes and tire degradation. Now it remains to be seen if Red Bull learned anything from all that and if they have managed to evolve their RB-20.
After several races far behind Norris, Mad Max was able to turn things around in Singapore, a circuit where he had never felt comfortable. This weekend should be a relief for someone who has already won the last three races on that same bumpy tarmac. Norris, on the other hand, has no room for more mistakes. The pace of his MCL-38, unstoppable since June on all types of tracks, is his best asset.