Norris Claims McLaren May Benefit Amid Red Bull Rule Breach Accusations

Friday, 18 October 2024 at 10:00

McLaren Racing driver Lando Norris shared his opinion on the recent controversy surrounding the Red Bull Racing team that has admitted to a clever trick.

On Thursday, October 17th, it was revealed that multiple competitors have been in talks with FIA (F1's regulatory body) over one "unidentified" F1 team potentially breaking the rules with a clever device.

Looking at which team is currently doing much better than everyone else, many fans initially suspected it was McLaren, but it was later revealed that the "unidentified" team was Red Bull Racing.

Other F1 teams suspected that the team from Milton Keynes had found a way to adjust the front bib clearance between the qualifying and the race.

This could potentially allow Red Bull to raise and lower their ride height. The lower the car is to the ground, essentially, the faster it can go in the qualifying.

Playing with the ride height between qualifying and the race is forbidden and could, of course, ultimately result in an improved performance.

Read also

'Non-existent' Stroll Is 'Above Rules' According To Steiner

McLaren Racing driver Lando Norris reacted to the news as he talked to the media on Thursday ahead of the 2024 United States Grand Prix weekend.

"It's one thing having it on your car, it's another thing on how much you exploit it and use it, which we have no idea [about]."

"So, if it has been helping them, if they've been utilising it in a way people think they have, then maybe it will shift in our direction."

Red Bull has admitted that the device that lets them adjust the front bib clearance exists. However, the Austrian team claims it cannot be used once the car is assembled, and therefore, they have not used it to breach the Parc Ferme rules. Norris continued:

"When you talk about things like that, they're not going to have got several pole positions or wins just because of such a device. So I don't think it really will change anything in the scheme of things."

"But when we look at maybe certain qualifying [sessions], and we look at the gap in certain races this year when it's been split by hundredths of a second in qualifying, or even thousandths, then you might say, okay, well maybe this helped in that direction or this direction."

Ultimately, Norris concluded there is a difference between what his team has been doing with the mini DRS and what Red Bull could potentially be doing with the clever trick that was found.

While he believes the mini DRS was just "pushing boundaries" within the regulations, he suggested that the front bib adjustment device is a clear breach.

"I think it's good that the FIA are doing such a thing. There's a difference between black and white stuff like this, and there's a difference between [it being] Formula 1 and pushing the boundaries and creating new things and innovating within the space that you allowed to innovate."