FWhen Formula One falls into one of its arcane disputes over technical regulations, as happened this weekend in the build-up to the United States Grand Prix, accusations and counter-accusations arise over the harmless “bib” sound element or, more innocently, the “tea”. saucer”.
However, these attempts to break the rules are important, even if the game does not inspire the soul. The battle for the championship, especially the A's, has now become this season. The smallest margin can make the difference and McLaren and Red Bull, the two teams locked in battle, know it. As Red Bull's Christian Horner and McLaren's Zach Brown rekindle their already healthy rivalry, Bibtray-gate illustrates that the title's protagonists are taking advantage of everything they can.
After a while, the stakes for both teams made for a dull start to the season. While Red Bull's Max Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races, the Dutchman seemed to have done it and dusted it off – a matter of when, not if. However, after McLaren made an unusually effective improvement in Miami, its British driver, Lando Norris, returned to the title fight.
Verstappen still holds all the cards, but Norris is heavily involved in this weekend's races, then Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi in a season-deciding showdown. McLaren now leads the Red Bull Constructors' Championship, a title the team has not won since 1998 and a prize more than any other.
Norris is 52 points behind Verstappen heading into the meeting in Austin and needs to overtake him by less than nine of the remaining six points to take the title. It's a big ask but, with McLaren in good form in the second half of the season, it is possible. In an atmosphere of high tension and intense competition, perhaps unsurprisingly, this week's controversy arose.
The FIA confirmed complaints that Red Bull may have gained an advantage by using a device that allows them to adjust the tip, known as a tea tray, at the front of the car floor before racing begins on Friday. – When the regulations prohibit changes to the car in the conditions after qualifying to achieve a better set-up in the race.
An open source document that the teams submitted to the FIA made it clear that they had a device to do so and Red Bull responded by confirming that the device existed, but that it was buried inside the cockpit, which was “inaccessible once the car disappeared.” full”. . assembled.” They have reached an agreement with the FIA to allow changes to the car during the Brazilian GP and in the meantime the FIA will seal any tuning restrictions to ensure no post-qualifying changes are made.
Not enough, Brown responded. “If you transgress closed park “It's a big violation of the rules and if it happens there should be consequences,” he said. “It's not a feedback layer that you can't change. So why does the FIA think it should be sealed with an inaccessible sign or at least? closed park?”
Horner, who never backs down from a fight, responded flatly. “The FIA is satisfied but [it is sealed] To satisfy the paranoia in other parts of the paddock,” he said. “I feel like sometimes you can get distracted from what's going on in your own home and sometimes you try to start a fire somewhere else.”
In an attempt to gain an advantage as part of the sport, Red Bull asked the FIA to examine McLaren's rear section. Monza and Baku. McLaren insists the wing is legal but admits they won't use it again – perhaps the only race that requires a major sacrifice considering Las Vegas is a low downforce specification.
However, such a storm in a teapot indicates the tension and importance of what is at stake in both championship battles, that even a speculative advantage is called into question. Without a formal reaction against Red Bull, it only seems likely that it will make changes that have sparked anger rather than being used. So the FIA does not issue a penalty but rather ensures with a seal that there are no future changes closed park They are already done.
This is far from the first technical stoppage this season and it won't even be the last in these last six races. When Verstappen and Norris go head-to-head, it's a battleground based on stacks of technical regulations.
