Christian Horner F1 News: Red Bull boss hits back at 'PARANOID' rivals over FIA investigation

Horner and Brown with Verstappen — Photo: © IMAGO

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Horner hits back at 'PARANOID' F1 rivals over FIA investigation

Red Bull have made an immediate change to their cars after an FIA ruling at the US GP

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 20 October 2024 16:56

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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner issued a defensive response after the FIA looked into his team's machinery, with rivals having reportedly raised suspicions.

It was revealed that following discussions with the sport's governing body, Red Bull had been forced to make immediate changes to their cars, sparking debate among the paddock over whether they have been benefitting from an unfair advantage so far this season thanks to a 'bib'.

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Ahead of the US GP this weekend, a spokesperson for Red Bull stated that the device in question did exist within the cockpit of their cars but was not accessible once the device was fully assembled.

The FIA then released a statement confirming that whilst they had not received any indication that Horner's outfit had used the device during parc ferme, it may require them to seal off the part, "to provide further assurance of compliance."

Red Bull no longer stands firm at the top of the constructors' standings after McLaren overtook them following the Azerbaijan GP, but star driver Max Verstappen is still clinging on to his lead in the drivers' championship ahead of Lando Norris in the papaya car.

Christian Horner has defended his Red Bull machinery at the US GP

The Red Bull cars were closely inspected by the FIA following complaints from rivals

Horner hits out following Red Bull car change

Speaking to Sky Sports before the sprint qualifying on Friday, Horner claimed he felt the team had done no wrong and the actions being taken by the team were purely to please their rivals.

“Every car has a tool that they can adjust the front of the bib,” he explained.

"Ours is located at the front in front of the footwell, it’s been there for over three years, you’ve got to have the pedals out, other panels and pipework out in order to be able to get to it, it’s like any other adjustment on the car, it would be easier to adjust a rear roll bar than it would be to get to that component."

"It’s on a list of the open-source components so it’s been publicly available for as I say the last three years, the FIA are happy with it, I think it's just to satisfy perhaps some paranoia elsewhere in the paddock."

His comments came after McLaren boss Zak Brown admitted his reservations over why the part would need to be sealed if it was inaccessible.

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Zak Brown recently faced scrutiny from the FIA after controversy with the McLaren rear wing

When asked by pundit Martin Brundle if the Sky team could take a peek inside the RB20, Horner retorted: "Well you wouldn’t fit that camera in there Martin, 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, there isn’t."

In what appeared to be a dig at championship rivals McLaren, Horner continued: "I feel that it’s sometimes to distract from perhaps what’s going on in your own house and sometimes you try and light a fire somewhere else."

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Red Bull Lewis Hamilton Mercedes FIA Christian Horner