The battle between Red Bull and McLaren shows no signs of slowing. Earlier in Baku, the Milton Keynes team accused McLaren of using an illegal rear wing, which led the FIA to order Andrea Stella’s team to make modifications.
In Austin, McLaren countered with the T-Tray incident, a case where Red Bull admitted fault. The FIA stepped in again, ultimately declaring the mechanism legal.
Now, in Brazil, we’re seeing the third act of this dispute. Red Bull is accusing McLaren of using a tire-cooling technique during the race, allegedly by injecting water through the valves to prevent overheating. Even small amounts of liquid can produce a similar effect. It’s rumored that McLaren isn’t alone, as AMUS reports that other teams may be benefiting from this “trick.”
The FIA is already investigating. No suspicious incidents were noted in Austin or Mexico, but if any irregularities are detected, Pirelli is required to report them to the FIA’s technical stewards. So far, neither the FIA nor Pirelli has commented on the matter.
In the paddock, however, this controversy is generating plenty of buzz, underscoring just how heated the rivalry between Red Bull and McLaren has become.
How could water be introduced into tires without Pirelli noticing? According to AMUS, tires and rims are all coded, with the FIA randomly assigning tires to rims provided by the teams. Installation and removal of tires are then handled by Pirelli’s technical crew.
Once installed, no team has the means to alter them. Teams lack the tools to remove tires from the rims and reattach them. Tires cannot be reused once removed.
The only point of access to inject water would be the valve. However, injecting fluids discreetly would be extremely challenging due to the stringent security measures Pirelli enforces in the garages.
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