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McLaren isn't buying the explanation offered by Formula 1 title rival Red Bull for the front bib device in the cockpit of its RB20.
Red Bull admitted on Thursday in Austin that it’s the team at the centre of an FIA probe into a device that has the potential to change the height of the ‘bib’ at the front of the car’s floor between qualifying and the race under parc ferme regulations.
Red Bull insists it hasn’t used the device to do so, saying that the bib is “inaccessible once the car is fully assembled”, adding, “we have agreed a plan going forward” with the FIA including changes being made to the RB20.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown was left unimpressed with Red Bull’s explanation and called for the FIA to investigate thoroughly.
He says Red Bull probably had “no choice” but to declare the existence of the device as it’s an open source component that was going to be visible to all the other teams.
“There was no denying that they [Red Bull] have the ability to access the front bib from inside the car [cockpit], that's undisputed,” Brown told Sky Sports F1. “So I think they had no choice but to say, yes we can...
“We know we can't, we don't have the access, it's not designed that way. And from what we're seeing, the other eight teams don't, so I think they had no choice.”
Brown was asked if he thought Red Bull was using the device: “Well, why would you design it to be inside the car? When the other nine teams have designed it to be outside the car.
“Ingenuity is part of Formula 1 and then there are black and white rules. You cannot touch your race car, other than things like driver comfort.
“They [Red Bull] chose their words very carefully, saying, ‘when the car is fully assembled’. But you're allowed to not have the car fully assembled in parc ferme and when you're working on driver comfort.
“Also, what doesn't quite stack up is a comment that you can't modify it. Well, then why does the FIA feel they need to put a seal on it if it's not accessible post or during parc ferme?
“I'm very happy to see the FIA is on it. It needs to be a very thorough investigation because, if you touch your car from a performance standpoint after parc ferme or in parc ferme, that is a black-and-white, material, substantial breach, which should come with massive consequences.
“Touching your car after parc ferme is highly illegal.”
Brown continued to insist that the FIA get to the bottom of whether Red Bull was using the device under parc ferme or not.
“Why would you design it to be inside the car when the nine other teams haven't? It’s maybe unfair of me to say... of course, I have an opinion on whether I think they have or haven't. But the FIA needs to be very diligent in finding out whether they have or haven't,” he added.
“Transparency is critically important in today's day and age. I still have questions, I know from talking to other team bosses, they still have questions.
“So until those questions are answered I think it is still an ongoing investigation to [find] out what do we know?
“I'd like some more answers before I'm prepared to kind of go, ‘right I guess they were, they weren't [using it]'.
“But I think the FIA will [find] it out.”
On Thursday, defending world champion Max Verstappen dismissed the controversy: “For us, it was just an easy tool when the parts were off, it was easy to adjust. But once the whole car is built together, you can’t touch it.”
Sky showed Red Bull demonstrating the device to the FIA following first practice.
