FIA have now banned ‘illegal’ part on Ferrari’s car for the Las Vegas Grand Prix after Red Bull protest

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is about to begin, but some of the cars are going to look very different compared to the last race in Sao Paulo.

Sauber have unveiled a new livery, as have RB, but from a technical standpoint, other changes are afoot.

With just three races to go, both championships are still hanging in the balance.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen can win the Drivers’ Championship if he finishes ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris.

However, the Constructors’ Championship is a much tighter affair and could go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.

McLaren are leading Ferrari by 36 points, with Red Bull a further 13 points behind.

Those deficits could be overturned in a single race weekend, particularly as the Qatar Grand Prix is also a Sprint Race event.

It means every team is looking to not only gain an advantage by producing updates for their cars but also closely scrutinizing what their rivals are doing on the track.

A report from Auto Motor und Sport has now shared more details about a change Ferrari – and several other teams – have been forced to make for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

It’s only a small change, but the margins are so fine in Formula 1 that it could make all the difference.

Red Bull get ‘illegal’ Ferrari part banned for the Las Vegas Grand Prix

The report talks about how important it is for this generation of ground-effect cars to run as close to the ground as possible to produce the most downforce.

This has caused issues in the past, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both disqualified from the United States Grand Prix last year due to excessive wear of their skid blocks.

Teams have therefore been protecting the fastening screws as much as possible to prevent this issue from arising again, using insulating material between the floor plate and the screws to create a cushion.

A ‘special protection’ has been applied by Ferrari and other teams to these screws but this loophole has now been closed by the FIA.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

McLaren and Red Bull were two teams not using this practice and it was the latter who pointed out to the FIA that the practice was ‘illegal’ if the rules were implemented correctly.

They told the FIA they would protest any future result if clarification wasn’t provided on the subject and all teams were therefore informed before the race in Las Vegas that the protective skids would not be permitted going forward.

Ferrari wanted to postpone that implementation until the next race in Qatar, but the FIA ruled against them.

Ferrari suffer blow to their Constructors’ Championship challenge after Red Bull protest

This ruling is likely to have an impact on Ferrari as they would have designed their car to run as low to the ground as it does based on the additional protection they had installed.

They may now have to lift their car by millimetres in Las Vegas but that could cost them enough time to give Red Bull – or leaders McLaren – a small advantage.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Ferrari have had their fair share of bad luck in Las Vegas, and Carlos Sainz will be hoping that the floor of his car isn’t destroyed by another loose drain cover.

A disqualification at this stage of the campaign would be detrimental and so Ferrari and the other teams – including Mercedes and Haas – who have had to modify their cars now need to make a difficult decision on their ride height.