‘Passed every test’ – Zak Brown fires back on Christian Horner’s ‘something dodgy’ response

From McLaren’s rear wing to Red Bull’s bib trick, Zak Brown and Christian Horner were at loggerheads as the F1 title fight resumed in Austin.

Ahead of the United States Grand Prix weekend, it was reported that one team was running a bib trick that gave them the ability to adjust the ride height under Parc Fermé conditions. That team is Red Bull.

Zak Brown: So that’s a non-issue

The reigning World Champions have a system located in the footwell of the RB20 that can change the angle of the bib, or T-Tray, which affects the airflow underneath the car.

Red Bull are adamant that while it is their system, it is not a simple “handbrake or lever” that can be flipped, it’s a more complex process that means it is not easy to access never mind adjust.

But that didn’t satisfy McLaren chief Brown’s concerns as he says even “having the ability to do it raises questions”, and he’s called for “consequences” if Red Bull are found to have adjusted the bib under Parc Fermé conditions.

‘Bibgate’, as it has been dubbed, is just the latest issue in a long line of technical issues that have been raised this season as teams look to gain an advantage over the chasing pack.

Prior to this it was McLaren’s rear wing and it’s mini-DRS which came to the fore after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix when Oscar Piastri’s rear wing opened even without DRS being activated.

McLaren, in consultation with the FIA, made tweaks to their rear wing.

Horner was quick to point to this in Austin.

“There was an awful lot of noise about rear wings,” the team boss said when asked if he was saying there’s ‘something dodgy’ on the McLaren.

“McLaren had to change their rear wing yesterday. It’s part of Formula 1. I’m sure there’ll be other stuff that comes up between now and Abu Dhabi.”

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But according to Brown, McLaren’s rear wing complies with the regulations.

“Absolutely,” said the American. “Our rear wings passed every single test. We’ve made some small modifications, as have some others. So that’s a non-issue.”

But what is an issue, is the RB20 and the bib trick that affects the floor’s air tunnels.

“I think on the floor, if, and I say if, because I don’t know, it’s used in an inappropriate manner, then it is definitely a performance advantage,” he said.

“If it’s not, then there’s no performance advantage whatsoever. And I think that’s what we just want to better understand.”

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