Red Bull has admitted to changing its car following the FIA's warning over changes being made to ride heights after qualifying.

Ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix the FIA issued a statement following claims that an unnamed team was adjusting the bib clearance between the end of qualifying and the race.

Said team was said to be circumventing the rule which forbids changes to the car between qualifying and the race other than to the front wing.

It was claimed that a team was changing the ride height from the low-fuel set-up required for qualifying to one better suited to a full fuel load at the start of the race.

While the regulations stipulate that "it must be clear from physical inspection that changes cannot be made without the use of tools", it was claimed that the rule was being circumvented by means of a device within the cockpit.

"Yes, (the device) exists," admitted a Red Bull spokesman, "although it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to run.

"In the numerous correspondence we have with the FIA, this part came up and we have agreed a plan going forward," they added.

The claims first surfaced over the Singapore weekend, after rivals became aware of such a device courtesy of the FIA's open-source system, which is open to all the teams.

After difficult outings in Italy and Azerbaijan, Singapore saw Max Verstappen back on the podium, albeit one step lower than Lando Norris with whom he is battling for the title.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by ARL, 19/10/2024 11:59

"When I said "nothing to see", what perhaps I should have said was maybe "nothing to see there".

Just musing on when I was a mere middle aged auld phart in 1999, I recall a brouhaha over whether Ferraris exceeded bodywork dimensions at the penultimate GP and therefore should have been disqualified - then handing the championship to Hakkinen before the last race. The problem was resolved by applying a tolerance rule meant for some other area to the offending bodywork, and the championship went down to the last race - just as Bernie liked it.

Long after Hakkinen was crowned champion, much to the relief of Michael who did not want any other Ferrari driver being champion before him, it was suggested that the row over bodywork dimensions was a distraction from inspection of another area of the car which was "performance enhancing" in Malaysia.

Brew up alternate conspiracy theory and simmer to taste. Or don't."

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2. Posted by kenji, 19/10/2024 6:49

"The latest episode in this 'Zac- led' drama has led Tombazis to stating publically that the whole exercise is a 'non story'. To avoid any further speculation the FIA have placed seals on the ride height adjusting system, itself a legal component that has existed for all to see for years as it is an 'open source component'. Zak Whinealot is still not happy though!!! This coming from a guy who is more than happy to manipulate race results smacks of gross hypocrisy, hardly a true sporting gesture but when it comes to raw chutzpah Whinealot has more than your average mensch."

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3. Posted by Pavlo, 18/10/2024 19:24

"If I understood it "between the lines" right, FIA actually can't prove RB was cheating, so they thankfully agreed with RB "voluntarily" removing the possibility in return to no action.
Of course, F1 car have adjustable height, that is part of the setup per track. So there is somewhere a "slot" to connect a "screwdriver" to adjust. Having this slot in a cockpit would be unusual, but as such is not banned.
I can just assume, there is a technical possibility to install a handle or a motor to adjust between Q and R, but obviously RB had time to remove any such handle.
So if FIA suspects such a handle, but was not able to document that it exists, there is no grounds to punish RB, they could even keep the current design.
But it's mutual benefit for both parties - RB removes the part they don't need anymore and destroys all possible evidence, FIA doesn't have to find a way to seal the part."

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4. Posted by Spindoctor, 18/10/2024 10:57

"Err, you what?
We are expected to believe that RBR have gone to all the trouble of making a "legal cheat" but being " inacessble" in the "assembled" car it's presumably also "unusable". WOW! That is deep...."

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5. Posted by kenji, 18/10/2024 5:53

"I see this issue very much as a sideshow. If the 'device' was in blatant breach then a penalty would've been awarded but it wasn't. I don't see any aggravation coming from other teams ATPIT either. There may be some token comments but so far it's all rather cool. With the championship poised for a [ possible ] surprise Red Bull would be on the lookout not to cop a points disadvantage by way of penalties."

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6. Posted by dejan, 17/10/2024 23:13

"If they were indeed not in compliance and the FIA got them to admit, why haven't Red Bull cars been disqualified from the races that these devices were found to be used?

This device based on the description is not just working around the regulations like some others before - it's directly violating the regulations."

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7. Posted by ARL, 17/10/2024 20:56

"So, at a time when every last gram of weight is stressed over to keep within limits, Red Bull have spent time and effort adding a device to the car that cannot be accessed when it is put together. So no benefit gained deserving of any penalties. Nothing to see, move on.

Aye right, as they say round here."

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8. Posted by Superbird70, 17/10/2024 20:44

"Tsk,tsk. I was hoping it was Ferrari. The red team disappoints me yet again."

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9. Posted by Celtic Tiger, 17/10/2024 20:23

"Well, my suspicions it was Mercedes was wrong. Indeed, I stand corrected.

Red Bull, you cheeky monkeys. I wonder if only Max had this device installed on his car because that would look even worse for Perez if he also had this trick available since he was flopping around in Singapore getting dunked on by a Haas. As well as only just managing to bring the car home in the top ten, a lap down. "

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10. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 17/10/2024 20:09

"If the device is “inaccessible once the car is fully assembled” then technically the height cannot be changed without the use of tools. Seems like a Chapman-esque interpretation of the rules.

There must be more to it, I guess. "

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Red Bull changes car following FIA discussions

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