Less than a week after announcing he was stepping down from Andretti Acquisition Corporation II’s board of directors, McLaren CEO Zak Brown is back in the headlines, but this time for a very different reason. Brown is speaking out about Red Bull Racing Management after being tipped off about the team possibly adjusting their vehicles’ bib trick under parc ferme conditions.
Parc Ferme conditions refer to a secure area at a racing circuit that requires cars to be checked inside and out for safety and to ensure that illegal modifications have not been made. Shockingly, Red Bull has admitted to having bib devices on their Formula 1 vehicles that can be adjusted based on height. Brown is pushing for answers, but is this controversy about a team rivalry?
Breaking Down the Validity Of Zak Brown’s Claims
Red Bull Racing was candid about the cars in their lineup having bibs that adjust the height of the floor. However, the team denies that any modifications to the device were made during Parc Ferme, but Zak Brown isn’t entirely convinced and, therefore, hasn’t been shy about his stance on the matter.
The McLaren CEO stated that he wants Red Bull mechanics and senior leadership to sign an official affidavit solidifying that the team has not now or at any time in the past adjusted a bib under Parc Ferme conditions. He feels a penalty or exclusion from future races should be imposed if they refuse.
Some see this as extreme, including Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner, who feels it’s just a rivalry, even though a statement made by his team confirmed that their famed RB20 had a bib device installed on it. They strongly claim the device is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to race. Still, Zak Brown called upon the International Automobile Federation to investigate on October 19.
“I’d like to see the senior leadership, the former chief mechanics, and the current mechanics sign an affidavit stating that they have never used or have no knowledge of it being used,” Zak Brown stated during an interview with the Daily Mail. “I feel that it’s sometimes to distract from perhaps what’s going on in your own house, sometimes you try and light a fire somewhere else,” said Horner.
Red Bull May Have Bent the Rules
Team Principal Christian Horner has continued criticizing Zak Brown’s claims about his team modifying vehicles. However, are the claims that the device can’t be modified once the RB20 is fully assembled valid? There’s much red tape around the answer to this because it remains unclear if the rumors that pit lane spectators have witnessed the Red Bull crew finagling the device during Parc Ferme. While a vehicle is in Parc Ferme, no changes can be made, nor can any parts be added, but in theory, this doesn’t apply to practices. Could this have been a flaw in the bib design on the custom-constructed RB20 rolled earlier in the year, or was it intentionally made to enhance performance on the track?
Zak Brown seems to think it was intentional and has been very judgmental about the words Red Bull Racing used to dispute the claims. He doesn’t buy that the bib device is inaccessible before the vehicle hits the track. He pointed out that no car in a lineup is ready to race in Parc Ferme and that things can be altered, and should it prove that this happened, Red Bull should be met with race exclusion as a penalty.
“Look at the wording of their denial about the device being inaccessible when the car is prepared to go racing,” Zak Brown explained. “Well, the car isn’t fully prepared to go racing in parc ferme.” Many things can be changed. You can pull the seat out, you can adjust the pedals,” he continued.“Should it ever come to light that Red Bull had broken parc ferme regulations, something like exclusion would be a fitting penalty,” he added.
Final Thoughts
Zak Brown’s criticism of Red Bull Racing’s possible alteration of the bib device on their RB2o has raised many eyebrows in open-wheel racing. Brown demands answers and has made it clear he wants the team held accountable should it be revealed that the device is being improperly used. He’s suggested the possibility of Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner and mechanics past and present signing an affidavit agreeing that they did not make bib modifications.
Horner has commented that the McLaren CEO is only making these accusations to continue both teams’ longstanding rivalry. Zak Brown remains adamant that the beef with Red Bull has nothing to do with his claims and is awaiting the International Automobile Federation’s investigation before commenting further, so stay tuned for more.
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