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AUSTIN, Texas — Formula One’s return to the Circuit of The Americas will start a run of six races in eight weeks to close out an increasingly tense battle for the 2024 world championships.
And before either Red Bull or McLaren’s cars have hit the track ahead of the United States Grand Prix, a fresh technical battle has already emerged.
On Thursday, Red Bull confirmed it had “agreed a plan” with the FIA over the front bib on its RB20 car after technical discussions. The move comes at a critical point in the season when every bit of performance gained or lost could influence the world championship battle.
Max Verstappen has not won a race since June, causing his lead over Lando Norris in the drivers’ world championship to fall to 52 points. Red Bull now trails McLaren by 41 points in the constructors’ standings after losing the lead in Baku, boosted by Norris’ crushing Singapore Grand Prix victory.
Red Bull has now also faced technical scrutiny from its rivals, who raised concerns ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix that it could have been able to use the front bib to alter the ride height of the car after the start of qualifying, when cars are under parc fermé conditions and the setup cannot be adjusted.
The concerns over the device led to the FIA informing teams ahead of this week in Austin that there would be some extra checks to ensure the front bib could not be easily adjusted, such as adding a seal to ensure compliance.
The FIA said via a spokesman that although it had “not received any indication of any team employing such a system,” it remained vigilant in its policing of the sport, prompting the addition of extra procedures.
A senior Red Bull team representative confirmed to The Athletic that the device exists but said it was “inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to run.”
They added that “in the numerous correspondence we have with the FIA, this part came up and we have agreed a plan going forward.”
It is not uncommon for teams to hold regular technical discussions with the FIA over designs on their cars in the event of rivals raising questions. McLaren made a tweak to its low downforce rear wing design after Baku following similar talks.
Verstappen and teammate Sergio Pérez denied that the plan over the bib would have any impact on Red Bull’s on-track performance. Pérez said it would have “zero” effect on the team.
Verstappen explained that it was “just an easy tool” to help adjust the ride height when the parts were off the car. “But once the whole car is built together, you can’t touch it,” he added. “So for us, it doesn’t change (anything).”
“There’s nothing we were doing with it,” Pérez added. He said he “knew it existed, but it was not available to us.”
Verstappen did not even realize the clampdown was related to Red Bull. “When I read it, I was like thinking about other teams doing it, and then I found out it was related to our team,” Verstappen said. “We never even mentioned it or anything. It was just an easier tool to adjust (the ride height).”
Asked on Thursday in Austin if the FIA’s move on Red Bull might have given him an advantage for the championship battle, Norris said it was “one thing having it on your car, it’s another thing on how much you exploit it and use it, which we have no idea on.”
Although he did not think it would “really change anything in the scheme of things,” he noted the tight margins at points this year, often down to hundredths or thousandths of a second, and welcomed the FIA’s intervention.
“It’s good that the FIA are doing such a thing,” Norris said. “There’s a difference between black and white stuff like this, and there’s a difference between Formula One and pushing the boundaries and creating new things and innovating within the space that you’re allowed to innovate.
“I think that’s what we, as McLaren, have done a very good job in, but we’re sure not to go any further than that.”
Ayao Komatsu, the Haas F1 team principal, explained that adjusting the ride height between qualifying and the race would make “quite a lot” of difference on a car and could be particularly beneficial in the race.
“Especially when the new tire grip has gone, with a used tire, managing degradation, etc, if you have a less than ideal balance through the corner that’s only going to get worse as the tire grip goes away,” Komatsu said. “So I would say the race would have a bigger impact.”
This weekend’s United States Grand Prix will see a number of teams, including Red Bull, bring several key car upgrades. COTA’s more traditional layout will offer teams a better reading of how the new parts perform, unlike the specialist street tracks of Baku and Singapore.
Red Bull is trying to arrest its recent performance slide and dial out the issues that have caused Verstappen and Pérez to struggle so much recently.
Verstappen said the Red Bull package was “from the learnings of Monza,” where he endured a miserable weekend that made him question his championship hopes. Neither he nor Pérez have sampled the upgrade in the Red Bull simulator and will get just one hour of practice on Friday ahead of the sprint qualifying session.
While the weekend could indicate how the final six races might play out, and how the performance between Red Bull and McLaren has swung, Verstappen said he felt no extra pressure.
“I know that when I jump in the car, I try to do the best I can,” Verstappen said. “When the car is capable of good results, I’ll deliver results, and when it’s not, then it will be a bit more difficult. Of course, naturally, I like to win races and championships.
“But yeah. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. It’s how life is.”
Top photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
