During the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend, Red Bull stirred up controversy by accusing McLaren of using water inside their tires, but are there any real benefits?
The Interlagos round was a weekend full of drama, with relentless rain, postponed qualifying sessions, and Max Verstappen’s unexpected win from the back of the grid. Adding to the spectacle was Red Bull’s accusation that McLaren had used water in their tires.
Let’s review the situation. Christian Horner accused the Woking-based team of illegally using water to cool the tires. According to the rules, tires can only be inflated with air and nitrogen—no other elements are allowed.
However, the Red Bull team principal claimed that the Papaya team had injected misted water through the tire pressure regulator. The presence of water, it was suggested, could stabilize the tire temperature and reduce external degradation.
McLaren Under Scrutiny Again: Are There Real Benefits?
Horner chose to accuse McLaren after noticing liquid on the tire rim. The FIA decided to investigate, and we’ll likely have to wait for their decision. Meanwhile, some question whether using water in tires even makes sense.
Water is indeed used to cool certain parts of the car, but only for components that reach very high temperatures. For instance, in the power unit—where exhaust gases can reach over 950–1000 degrees—water cooling is used, despite its weight increase.
Water has a much higher density than air, significantly impacting weight. With tires, however, temperatures peak around 100 degrees, so the advantage would be minimal. Additionally, using misted water might not be justifiable from a financial perspective.
According to sources in the Italian media, it wouldn’t make much sense for a team to adopt costly solutions for relatively minor benefits. In the current era of budget caps and economic constraints, Red Bull and Christian Horner’s accusation against McLaren may logically hold little weight. But the final decision lies with the FIA.
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