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Red Bull team boss Christian Horner recently hinted that McLaren could also face issues with car legality in the remaining races in the 2024 F1 season. This was amid the British team urging FIA to thoroughly check the defending world champions' cars for adjustable front bib height parts.
On the eve of the 2024 F1 US GP, the FIA forbade any modifications to the front bib height between race sessions, particularly when the car was in Parc Ferme. The front bib, or T-ray, is an aerodynamic element situated underneath the front wing and behind the front axle. This part was previously used to hold the plank that runs underneath an F1 car.
Adjusting this part during Parc Ferme is not allowed because it could change the ride height of the vehicle, which is against the technical regulations.
It was later known that Red Bull was the team that exploited this loophole by altering the T-ray in between race sessions. McLaren was quick to pounce and urge the FIA to thoroughly check the defending world champions' cars for the loophole.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Christian Horner was asked whether this entire front bib height saga was a "non-story" by F1 pundit Martin Brundle. To this, the 50-year-old cheekily said that people try to light a fire in someone else's house to create a distraction from what is going on in their own house.
This was a clear hint towards McLaren's rear wing saga that took place during the Azerbaijan GP. Horner then hinted that the British team could also face questions about their car in the upcoming races.
"I feel that it's, sometimes, to distract from, perhaps, you know, what's going on in your own house, then sometimes you try and light a fire somewhere else. Well, look, there was an awful lot of noise about rear wings. The McLaren had to change their rear wing yesterday. But, yeah, look, it's part of Formula One and, yeah, you know, I'm sure there'll be other stuff that comes up between now and Abu Dhabi."
McLaren team boss urges FIA for a stringent check of Red Bull's front bib height technique
McLaren team boss Zak Brown recently talked about extreme consequences if Red Bull were tinkering with their cars during Parc Ferme. Speaking to Sky Sports, he initially said that he was happy to see the FIA delegates in Red Bull's garage, watching how the mechanics were changing the car's front bib height.
Brown then mentioned the severity of the penalty if a team is found tweaking their cars during Parc Ferme. He pointed out that the mechanics cannot even touch the car in order to bring any performance gains between qualifying and the Grand Prix.
"I'm very happy to see the FIA is on it. I think 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 comes with massive consequences," Brown said.
In the constructors' standings, McLaren leads the table with 516 points, while the defending world champions, Red Bull, are in second place with 475 points. Both teams are fighting for the constructors' championship this year.
