Christian Horner has brushed off suggestions of foul play by Red Bull regarding the presence on its car of its controversial front bib ride height adjuster, claiming that rival F1 teams’ ‘paranoia’ is inducing the contestation.
Ahead of this weekend’s US Grand Prix in Austin, Red Bull confirmed that the FIA had raised concerns about ride height device, particularly regarding whether it could be exploited under parc fermé conditions, which would represent a clear breach of F1's technical regulations.
The issue came to light at last month’s Singapore Grand Prix, where F1 teams were alerted to the existence of the system and queried the FIA on its legality.
In Austin, the governing body tightened its controls and procedures but made clear that it had no evidence that Red Bull has used the device at any point in parc fermé, with the team itself insisting that its mechanism is not accessible when its car is fully assembled and in running order.
Addressing is team’s controversy for the first time on Friday, Horner categorically denied any wrongdoing or attempt to exploit its front bib device between qualifying and the race.
“It’s been there for, I think, over three years,” Horner told Sky Sports. “You’ve got to have the pedals out, other panels, pipe work out in order to be able to get to it.
“It would be easier to adjust a rear roll bar than it would be to get to that component.”
Horner confirmed that the team has been transparent with the FIA about the device which, he emphasized, is part of a list of fully adjustable open-source components available online to all teams on the governing body’s server.
“It was a conversation that we actually had with the FIA in Singapore,” Horner confirmed. “They’ve looked at it and they’re more than happy with it. They’re totally happy with it.
“There’s probably about 600 items on the car that are fully adjustable. Everybody can adjust these items. What you can’t do is adjust them during parc ferme.
“It would be easier to adjust a floor stay or a roll bar or a push rod length than rip out the pedals,” he added. “We have cameras watching the cars. We have scrutineers and witnesses watching the cars.
“Our cars have come under more scrutiny in the last three years than any other car in the pit lane, so we’re totally comfortable.”
The FIA also conducted an inspection of the system in Max Verstappen’s car on Friday, seemingly to placate rivals’ concerns. A seal was fitted to the adjuster in the footwell, but Horner was unperturbed, dismissing the uproar as a distraction tactic.
"There’s been a bit of moaning from one of our rivals," Horner noted. “It’s the FIA’s job to look into these things and they wanted to have a [look].
“The FIA are happy with it. I think just to satisfy perhaps some paranoia elsewhere in the paddock.
“Sometimes, to distract from perhaps what’s going on in your own house, sometimes you try and light a fire somewhere else.”
FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis who has been at the forefront of the investigation backed Red Bull's stance, downplaying the controversy.
"It’s certainly not a story from now on," he said. Tombazis acknowledged that teams often grow suspicious in a competitive championship but reiterated that the matter is closed. "In the present situation, we believe it’s a non-story."
As the United States Grand Prix weekend unfolds, Red Bull appears unphased by the controversy, confident in the legality of their car while dismissing the concerns as little more than paddock gossip.
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