Red Bull arrived in the United States at the Austin circuit shrouded in a cloud of doubts and questions regarding the T-Tray, a system designed to regulate the height of the plank (the front part of the floor) that would have been used—illegally—during parc fermé conditions.
Recalling a famous saying, “three clues make a proof,” but perhaps in this case, two are enough; and the first clue about the possible irregularity committed comes from yet another secret agreement signed with the FIA.
Just like what happened with the Ferrari engine five years ago, let’s be clear: if a team knows it cannot be found guilty, it doesn’t need to make any agreements. Or at least, that’s what one would think if looking at the matter rationally.
We have one clue that points to something suspicious, and the other was seen on the track during the race weekend…
Has Red Bull lost its characteristic: is it a pure coincidence?
Since the beginning of the new regulatory era with ground effect cars (2022), there is a striking fact that identifies a characteristic of Red Bull: being more competitive in the race rather than in qualifying.
The data in question is as follows: in the last three seasons, the pole positions achieved by the Milton Keynes team amount to 30, while the victories total 45.
What does this mean? That, evidently, the car had a significant advantage over its rivals in races. And when could the modifications with the T-Tray have been made during parc fermé? Precisely between qualifying and the race.
In short, given the ease of using the system, it would have been enough for the team’s mechanics to carry out a simple unnoticed job to secure a significant advantage on Sunday.
Is it a coincidence that Max Verstappen was the fastest in practically every qualifying lap in Austin, while in the race, there was no competition with Ferrari (and perhaps he was even slower than McLaren)? The future will decide…
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