Last Updated on October 17 2024, 11:15 am

Formula One is a high stakes dramatic sport and its super competitive nature will inevitably at times lead to confrontation. Most years there are intra paddock spats over flexi wings, with one team accusing another and now suspicions in Austin turn towards the latest FIA clampdown – on front bibs.

Apparently there have been concerns raised with the FIA of a potential clandestine system that allows a team to modify the front bib clearance, without breaching the ride height regulations.

Yet were such a system to exist it could enable relatively small ride height adjustments without drawing attention to the fact. The system would be activated when the F1 cars are in parc ferme to raise the height from its low fuel qualifying settings, to a height better capable of managing 100kg fuel.

 

 

 

New FIA ride height mandate

The F1 teams upload their design modifications throughout the season to the FIA via an open source system, which can be accessed by all the teams to scrutinise. This continues a tradition in F1 from the days when the FIA was relatively poor and lacking in engineering expertise, so the teams wold check each others car designs out and protest to the FIA should they find something suspicious on a competitor.

The system also provides an audit trail for the FIA, to ensure there is documentation to support each concept right through to subsequent car modification in an attempt to prevent teas using outsourced undeclared resources.

The statement from the FIA appears to suggests they do not have sufficient evidence to approach one of the teams quite behind closed doors, but it ensures theres no ambiguity over the new control procedures in place this weekend at the USGP in Austin.

“Any adjustment to the front bib clearance during parc ferme conditions is strictly prohibited by the regulations. While we have not received any indication of any team employing such a system, the FIA remains vigilant in our ongoing efforts to enhance the policing of the sport.

Schumacher: “I wasn’t good enough”

 

 

 

One team thought to be guilty

“As part of this, we have implemented procedural adjustments to ensure that front bib clearance cannot be easily modified. In some cases, this may involve the application of a seal to provide further assurance of compliance,” the FIA statement read.

With just six race weekends remaining this season, its the time the teams can throw the kitchen sink at improving their car’s performance, particularly if they are at risk from being overtaken in the constructor standings by a rival.

With each position in the final constructor standings worth around $9m its easy to see why a team may implement a moveable bib once or twice to improve their competitiveness.

Whilst the FIA are calming potentially troubled waters in the technical arena, they have also wisely chosen to step back from the row they picked last time out with Max Verstappen. The FIA president has issued an edict calling for less swearing prior to the Singapore Grand Prix, but his choice of idiom was rather poor.

Schumacher back in F1: A ‘real’ situation

 

 

 

FIA president causes a row

“I mean, we have to differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music,” Ben Sulayem told Autosport. “We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are [us].” 

This immediately raised more than an eyebrow from Lewis Hamilton who called the presidents comments. “With what he said, I don’t like how he expressed it,” Hamilton said. “Saying rappers is very stereotypical as most rappers are black.

The seven times world champion calls out the “wrong choice of words” and claimed there was a “racial” element to Ben Sulayem’s comments.

No sooner than had Lewis attempted to take down the new anti-bad language directions towards the race stewards than Max Verstappen stepped up at bat and put the swear ball out of the park.

Horner on RBR 2025 lineup

 

 

 

Verstappen and the F-bomb

Whether his words were carefully chosen or a heart felt outburst, Max decided to drop the F-bomb in the Thursday FIA driver press conference when talking about how his car had been in Baku. Verstappen was talking in detail about his previous qualifying effort in Azerbaijan when laughing almost from incredulity Max said “as soon as I headed into qualifying, I knew the car was fucked.”

This crossed a line with a reshaped FIA regulation last winter under the rather general banner of “causing offence.” It was the sanctions applied which were surprising. The race stewards gave Verstappen one days ‘community service’ as a punishment when usually the crime would be met with a fine.

Tempers simmered but because the world champion failed to make the top three in qualifying, he dodged the next FIA mandated interview on Saturday. On Sunday Max brought his Red Bull home over twenty seconds behind race winner Lando Norris, but his second place classification meant he was up for another FIA mandated press conference.

During the media event, Verstappen refused to answer questions with more than a yes or now but did tell reporters he wold speak freely outside the room when the FIA mandated event was over.

Cadillac buy Renault F1 engine division

 

 

 

Hamilton backs Verstappen

Max received support from an unlikely source in terms of his arch rival from the campaign of 2021. 

“Yeah I think it’s a bit of a joke to be honest,” said Hamilton. “This is the pinnacle of the sport, mistakes are made. I certainly won’t be doing it [community service] and I hope Max won’t be doing it.”

Lando Norris was asked whether Max in fact deserved the sanction. The McLaren driver initially joked “He deserved it. Foul language!!!”  Then the McLaren man reverted to seriousness adding, “I think it’s pretty unfair, I don’t agree with any of it.”

Mercedes BIG warning to Hamilton sucessor

 

 

 

FIA withdraw from confrontation

Now the FIA appears to have withdrawn from its traditional confrontational stance in terms of participant selection. Often these press conferences are made super juicy as the FIA select candidates who are not on the best of terms when they can.

Given this row includes the FIA, they appear to have backed down from further confrontation with Max Verstappen, as he is not selected for the schedule Thursday FIA drivers press conference. Of course this does not mean he won’t be interviewed by FIA representatives following qualifying or the race were he to finish top three in either.

The ever changing format for this usually lack lustre FIA media event will see, Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz and Kevin Magnussen up first before the world’s press. Then third minutes later they will be followed by Lando Norris, Liam Lawson and Alex Albon.

The event begins Thursday October 17th at 19:30 BST.

Horner: The reason we lost Newey

 

 

 

How Piastri was “persuaded” to support Norris

This time last season, Max Verstappen had wrapped up the F1 drivers championship and Red Bull had claimed the constructors’ title before the teams arrived at the USGP. What a difference a year makes.

McLaren now lead Red Bull by forty one points and are on course to claim their ninth constructors’ championship, placing them joint second on the all time list alongside Williams (9) and behind Ferrari (16).

Max Verstappen remains favourite for the 2024 F1 drivers’ title, his lead over Lando Norris being fifty two points. Yet one DNF for the world champion could change everything. This time last season, Verstappen claimed pole in the Sprint shoutout and the race victory, although his performance in Grand Prix qualifying saw him start the race in P6 but the Dutchman drove through the field to win the Grand Prix… READ MORE