- Red Bull have alerted the FIA of their suspicions with title rivals McLaren
- Lando Norris trails Max Verstappen in the Driver’s Championship by 44 points
- McLaren currently lead the Driver’s Championship with only four races left to go
Red Bull have accused McLaren of illegally injecting water into their tyres to cool them on the eve of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The constructor believes the water — or another unspecified substance — has been inserted via a valve. The coolant would then help guard against degradation, and so deliver better race pace.
Suspicions were raised in Singapore when, as the accusation goes, a jet of water flew off the tyre rims post-race.
Red Bull have alerted the FIA of their suspicions. The governing body will be extra vigilant in monitoring this from now on.
McLaren dismissed the accusations. And spokesman for tyre suppliers Pirelli said that if they found anything suspicious, they would have informed the FIA.
Red Bull believe that McLaren have illegally injected water into their tyres to cool them. Pictured: Red Bull team principal Christian Horner (left) Lambiase Gianpiero, Race Engineer of Max Verstappen
McLaren have dismissed the accusations, while a Pirelli spokesman has insisted they would have informed the FIA if they found anything suspicious
Using water or another substance to cool tyres shortly before they are fitted to their cards in the race could help limit thermal degradation and help drivers deliver better pace, especially in the closing stages of the Grand Prix.
The FIA issued a technical directive banning the practice, which a several teams including Red Bull have used in the past, a number of years ago. They now suspect their rivals if doing the same and believe it might explain their performance advantage.
The accusation is a product of an increasingly fraught fight for the drivers’ title between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen which will be decided here and in three concluding races in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
