Zak Brown Reignites the Case
The FIA has formally closed the T-tray case, but for McLaren, the issue is far from resolved. On the eve of the Austin weekend, yet another media controversy erupted in Formula 1 during a season filled with surprises, sparking considerable debate, particularly regarding dynamics not directly related to on-track action.
Specifically, the Milton Keynes team has accused Red Bull of patenting a system capable of altering the height of the T-tray in parc fermé conditions. This solution would blatantly violate the technical regulations, with the FIA becoming aware of the situation during the Singapore weekend.
However, lacking concrete evidence to certify the guilt of the Anglo-Austrian team, the federation could only seal off the affected area to avoid a potential repeat of the same scenario in upcoming Grands Prix. While Andrea Stella readily accepted the explanations from Nikolas Tombazis, Zak Brown is far from willing to back down and is determined to bring Red Bull into the open.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, the McLaren CEO invited the team’s major representatives to sign sworn statements to put pressure on Horner & Co and compel them to avoid making false statements.
“I would like the executives, former chief mechanics, and current mechanics to sign a sworn statement affirming that they have never used or are unaware of the use of the device,” the American manager began.
“The suggestion from some people in the pit lane is that it has been used in that way, so the only way to eliminate that is the old ‘sign here.’ – he pointed out – “I’m sure this issue will be addressed in the future, but if they did it in the past, there is no gray area. Modifying your car in parc fermé is the clearest violation of the regulations,” Zak Brown reiterated.
“Look at how they phrased their denial about the device being inaccessible when the car is ready to race. Well, the car is not completely ready to race in parc fermé. Many things can be modified. You can remove the seat, you can adjust the pedals.”
What could be an exemplary punishment if Red Bull were to admit that they modified the setup in parc fermé?
“It has to be a deterrent,” Zak Brown suggested. “We have seen drivers excluded from races and championships. And I’m not saying that Max Verstappen should be excluded, by the way. If, and I say ‘if,’ the rules of parc fermé were broken, the penalty must be that significant, depending on whether they did it once or if they have been doing it regularly for three years. There must be consequences.” – he concluded.
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