Water in McLaren’s tires? This is the latest controversy in F1 that has emerged in recent hours. Stefano Domenicali does not seem to give much importance to the issue. On the other hand, Stefano believes that when a championship is so competitive until the end, it’s normal for such accusations to arise. It’s a game to distract rivals and gain an advantage. Red Bull started by attacking McLaren for the alleged “Mini DRS,” where the Woking team, thanks to a special rear wing configuration, was supposedly able to gain aerodynamic benefits by increasing efficiency with the rear wing closed.
McLaren responded by trying to hit Red Bull on the T-Tray issue. A real system, operable via a command inside the cockpit of the RB20, allows adjusting the ground clearance of the front part of the floor. According to the accusations, this move, which allegedly went unnoticed by the International Federation’s inspections, allowed the Milton Keynes team to adjust the ride height at will in parc fermé before several races of the current F1 season. This controversy, too, was set aside.
Before mentioning the latest episode of this soap opera, a few words on the non-qualification of the Brazilian Grand Prix. At the official start time, the weather conditions, as expected, had worsened significantly. A heavy storm hit, and the rain was intense. Here’s some data: air temperature at 18.3 °C, track temperature at 22.3 °C, humidity at 94%, and wind speed at 4.3 km/h blowing from the northeast. The FIA did everything possible to try to hold the session and took time to figure out how to handle the situation.
The stewards tried in every way to remove water from the track. However, although the weather seemed to offer a brief break from the rain, conditions worsened again during the long wait. The problem was clear: they couldn’t wait indefinitely, as the available time before sunset and darkness was limited. It remains to be seen if the qualification will take place tomorrow morning if possible or if it will be decided to use the practice or Sprint Race times to determine the grid.
F1, is McLaren putting water in the tires to manage temperatures? Water is not only falling on the Brazilian track. There’s yet another chapter in the dispute between Red Bull and McLaren. We’re clearly talking about paddock gossip. A theory launched by the Milton Keynes team towards the Woking team. Red Bull’s team principal, interviewed in the pit lane while waiting to see what would happen with qualifying, commented on the matter when specifically asked. With a sly smile, he hinted that there was indeed water, joking about the fact that there was a downpour underway.
According to what is still nothing more than a rumor to be confirmed, the team currently leading the constructors’ standings, McLaren, has devised a strategy related to the tires. According to the accusation, they are allegedly using water to keep tire temperatures more uniform and avoid overheating. To clarify, through a certain humidity inside the tires, the wheel rims could be able to cool the treads. Mario Isola was also intercepted by F1 reporters and shared his opinion on the matter.
The Italian explained that, theoretically, such a move would alter tire pressure, and as a result, performance would be lower. However, it would achieve much better temperature uniformity, keeping them constant and limiting degradation. The Pirelli boss has not yet received any orders from the FIA for inspections. If that were to happen, the tools for such an inspection would be limited. The check would have to be carried out when the tires are removed, but it would be very difficult to detect water since the quantities would likely be very small.
Although Pirelli has tools that could be used to check for humidity inside the tire, the matter would not be simple at all. The issue is that the inspection would need to happen as soon as the cars stop, after a qualifying session or at the end of the race, with the tires still hot, to have a realistic situation. Quick checks are needed to ensure that the inspections are accurate before the conditions inside the tire change. Obviously, the matter is very delicate and currently still quite unclear. We await further developments…
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