Ferrari boss issues ‘more than cheating’ Red Bull warning amid RB20 ‘Bibgate’ saga
Red Bull carried out a demonstration of how its bib ride height adjustment is operated to FIA officials.
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur trusts the FIA to “do their job” on the Red Bull RB20 ‘Bibgate’ saga, claiming using it in parc fermé would go beyond “cheating”.
Red Bull were the key talking point going into the US Grand Prix, not due to their RB20 upgrades, but rather in relation to the car’s bib after the team held its hands up following a report that an adjustable ride height device was being used by a team.
Ferrari ‘more that cheating’ warning to Red Bull
Governing body the FIA has introduced additional sealing procedures, with Red Bull insisting that their in-cockpit device cannot be used when the cars are in parc fermé conditions, which would be a breach of the regulations. Red Bull performed a demonstration of the device to assure the FIA in Austin.
However, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has been highly vocal in calling on the FIA to launch a “thorough investigation”, with Ferrari team principal Vasseur also weighing in on the situation with a blunt take.
“If Red Bull really modified the car in parc fermé, it would be more than cheating, it would be a huge thing,” Vasseur told Sky Italia.
“But I don’t know the details. The FIA will do their job.”
‘Bibgate’ explained
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Vasseur also had words for McLaren though, following their ‘mini-DRS’ rear wing saga which erupted after Oscar Piastri beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to the win in Baku.
McLaren “proactively” modified the rear wing after talks with the FIA, later extending those changes to their range of rear wings, including the package which they are using in Austin.
“The McLaren wing in Baku for me was not legal,” claimed Vasseur.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner claimed “paranoia” from a rival team was behind this ‘Bibgate’ saga.
“I think there’s been a bit of moaning from one of our rivals, and it’s the FIA’s job to look into these things,” Horner told Sky F1 when quizzed on why the FIA felt it necessary to add an access seal on the Red Bull device.
“It’s on a list of the open-source components, so it’s been publicly available for the last three years.
“The FIA is happy with it. [It’s] just to satisfy perhaps some paranoia elsewhere in the paddock.
“If you think that there’s some kind of handbrake or lever that the drivers can activate with a low, medium, or high setting, I’m really sorry to disappoint you!”
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