19/06/2024
NEWS STORY
There is speculation that Red Bull could challenge the legality of the front wings being used by a number of rival teams.
In pre-season testing concern was raised over the front wing being used by Mercedes and despite the assurance of the FIA as to its legality the murmuring continued.
However, when it became clear that the German team had not taken a significant step forward the murmuring appeared to die down and things moved on.
Now, as McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes begin to close in, talk of illegality has resumed, indeed it is claimed that Red Bull was never convinced that all was well, and is now even more concerned that rules are being broken.
Seemingly, behind the scenes, Red Bull has been seeking support from other teams, most notably Aston Martin, in the hopes that a protest might be lodged. However, with last year's shenanigans still fresh in mind the Silverstone-based outfit was unwilling to play ball.
In 2023 the FIA was forced to issue a technical directive as a result of "rubbery nose boxes" which allowed the front wings on some cars to flex, this followed the situation earlier in the year when Aston Martin had to deny that the FIA had demanded modifications following claims of flexing.
Asked if Red Bull had approached the FIA to express its doubts over Mercedes new front wing, Helmut Marko told Auto Motor und Sport: You can't say that.
"They have a new front wing, and on the TV pictures from Montreal you can clearly see that Russell and Hamilton's wings are bending noticeably," he added. "However, the wings had the necessary strength when they were approved. That doesn't surprise me.
"I don't know how often we had to check our wings," he continued. "There is a precisely defined procedure with weights under which a wing must not bend. It is a popular game of pushing everything to the limit so that it passes the technical inspection. During the race, the wing then lowers, which ensures better aerodynamics.
"It has come up again and again when the deformation was clearly visible in the television images," said the Austrian. "Everything was OK in Montreal. There is a new inspection for Barcelona and Spielberg etc., and it has to be OK again. Of course, the competition is looking at that critically, not just us."
There is absolutely no proof that McLaren, Ferrari or Mercedes are doing anything wrong, but with an eye on the closing gap between the top four teams, not to mention the increasing toxicity at that end of the paddock, surely nothing is off the table, especially if Red Bull really is seeking support from elsewhere in the paddock.