The Red Bull T-Tray case
The International Federation is not changing its approach. Whether it’s the case of McLaren’s “mini-DRS” or the system used by Red Bull to adjust the ride height of the RB20’s T-Tray, FIA stewards continue to adopt a cautious stance. This choice was defended by Nikolas Tombazis as early as the Singapore weekend and reiterated in the Austin paddock, where the controversy erupted on Thursday regarding the device that the Milton Keynes team allegedly uses to change the setup of Max Verstappen’s and Sergio Perez’s cars more quickly.
Possible uses of the system on the RB20
The question is not about “how” but “when.” If used during free practice, the system is legal and helps speed up the mechanics’ work. Conversely, if activated between qualifying and the race, it would be a way to circumvent — in a seriously illegal manner, as Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur pointed out — the restrictions imposed by the parc fermé regulations. However, the FIA has no evidence that such interventions have ever taken place, but they will ensure it doesn’t happen in the future. Starting from the United States Grand Prix, the Federation has decided to apply seals to ensure that any use of the device can be detected by the stewards conducting routine checks.
FIA, Nikolas Tombazis speaks
“At the last race in Singapore,” said FIA Head of Technical Regulations Nikolas Tombazis to Sky UK, “we were informed about the existence of a certain system that could allow the ride height of the front part of the car to be changed under parc fermé conditions. We have no indication or evidence that this has ever happened, and if it did, it would clearly be illegal. So, we decided that from this race onwards, it will no longer be possible to perform such an intervention. If a team has a device that allows the ride height to be changed quickly, then that device must be sealed so that it cannot be accessed under parc fermé conditions.” – he pointed out.
“I think all teams,” concluded the Greek engineer, who has a past as Ferrari’s technical director, “agree with our decision, and from what I can tell, the issue is reasonably under control. There is no story to talk about, we just did what was necessary to stop the speculations about the case. Obviously, this is a highly contested championship, and people get heated about their respective cars. We can’t definitively close the issue for previous races or stop the insinuations between teams in such a competitive environment. But as it stands, we believe it’s a non-story.” – Nikolas Tombazis concluded.
