Tell the truth, Red Bull! McLaren chief Zak Brown tells JONATHAN McEVOY why he is urging F1 rivals to come clean amid cheating accusations
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has called on Christian Horner and key members of his Red Bull team to sign affidavits to clear up allegations of cheating at the center of a bitter World Cup fight.
Before Lando locked up Norris on the final lap of the sprint race here to finish third and fall 54 points behind winner Max Verstappen, Brown addressed accusations that his rivals changed their ride height between qualifying and the race, which is not allowed under safe, ‘parc ferme’ conditions.
Red Bull admits that their cars are fitted with a device that allows them to make the adjustment, but they insist that ‘it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled’.
The world governing body, the FIA, has ordered the part to be sealed from this weekend, but acknowledges they have no means of checking whether Red Bull have changed cars in recent races, potentially breaking their rules.
Nikolas Tombazis, FIA single-seater chief, has said the case has been closed because there is no evidence of cheating. Horner claimed the accusations stem from “paranoia.”
Zak Brown (pictured) has called on Christian Horner and key Red Bull members to sign affidavits to clarify allegations of cheating
There are allegations that Red Bull adjusted the ride height between qualifying and the race
Red Bull admits that their cars are equipped with a device that allows them to make the adjustment
However, Brown was due to meet with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to discuss the matter and call for legally binding statements from Red Bull.
With McLaren holding a 39-point lead over Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship with six rounds to go, the issue is crucial to the fate of both titles.
Brown told Mail Sport: ‘I would like to see the senior leadership, the former chief engineers and the current engineers sign an affidavit stating that they have never used it or have no knowledge of it.
‘The suggestion in the pit lane from a handful of people is that it was used that way, so the only way to rule it out is the old-fashioned ‘sign here’ saying what happened.
“I know that if I were given an affidavit and the consequences of not telling the truth were serious, I would tell the truth.
‘I am confident that the matter will be dealt with in the future. But if they’ve done it in the past, there’s no gray area. Modifying your car in Parc Ferme is the clearest possible violation of the regulations.
“And look at the wording of their denial that the device is inaccessible when the car is ready to go racing. Well, the car is not quite ready to go racing in the Parc Ferme. Many things can be changed. You can pull out the seat, you can adjust the pedals.”
As for a possible punishment if Red Bull is found to have made a mistake, Brown said: “It should be a deterrent.
“We have seen drivers excluded from races and championships. And I’m not saying that Max should be excluded. We have seen teams banned from races and championships. If, and I say ‘if’, the parc ferme rules have been broken, the punishment should be as severe as possible depending on whether they did it once or whether they have been doing it regularly for three years. There must be consequences.’
Brown told Mail Sport: ‘I would like to see the senior leadership, the former chief engineers and the current engineers sign an affidavit.’
Red Bull insists ‘it will be inaccessible once the car is fully assembled’ and the FIA has ordered the part sealed from this weekend
McLaren’s Lando Norris (photo) is involved in a battle with Red Bulls’ Max Verstappen for the world championship
Just as urgent, McLaren’s recent pace advantage disappeared in the sprint. Verstappen won by 3.8 seconds. Norris, who made a smooth start and immediately rose from fourth to second place, never threatened the world champion during the nineteen laps.
And then a minor disaster, because Norris drove too much speed into the opening corner of the last lap. Carlos Sainz seized the opportunity.
“Ferrari was on another level,” said Norris, who blamed worn tires. “There’s no way I could have held on to second place.”
These were ominous comments regarding his championship hopes. There are 172 points to fight for, and Norris needs most of them.