The FIA’s usual in-depth examination of a car’s component design following a Grand Prix saw McLaren’s MCL39 have its rear brakes looked at in forensic detail.

McLaren’s brake design examined by the FIA following Miami GP

Separate from the usual post-race scrutineering following every Grand Prix, a car from the top 10 finishers is hauled aside for more exhaustive checks by the FIA’s technical delegate Jo Bauer.

For instance, in Jeddah, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull was randomly chosen with its engine air intake system, oil and coolant system, and charge air cooling checked, as well as all the relevant attached sensors, loom routing, and connections to the standard ECU.

Following the Miami Grand Prix, it’s understood McLaren’s MCL39 was the car chosen by the FIA to allow for a closer look than the usual post-race scrutineering. It’s not yet clear which of the two cars, Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri, was selected for the inspection.

The FIA is understood to have meticulously inspected the rear braking system of the McLaren, with this area of the car proving to be of particular interest to rival teams as McLaren’s ability to keep its tyre temperatures under control has left the other teams stumped.

With the FIA carrying out such intensive checks on a regular basis, it’s not evident why McLaren’s braking system was selected on this occasion but the criteria for selection is essentially that of educated guesswork on the part of the governing body – the FIA can check components out based on its own interest, evaluations following a team’s clear performance gain, or intelligence provided by other teams.

The results of the FIA’s inspection have not yet been published, with the outcome expected to be published on the Wednesday of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix next week. However, with no report made to the stewards by the technical delegate, a reasonable assumption would be that nothing in violation of the regulations has been uncovered.

Aside from the details of what areas of the system were examined, no further details of the findings of the investigation will be published beyond confirmation of its legality, provided the systems have all passed the technical regulations.

It has been suggested that several rival teams have raised concerns with the FIA about the apparent advantage McLaren has gained in the area of the cooling of its rear brake drum, a key factor in the car’s ability to keep its tyre temperatures under control.

Red Bull, it has been reported by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, is alleged to have supplied the FIA with thermal imaging scans of the McLaren, showing considerably cooler brake temperatures than other cars.

Speaking after the Miami GP, which McLaren won with a dominant 1-2 more than 30 seconds clear of the field on a track with high track temperatures and tyre degradation, team boss Andrea Stella paid tribute to the engineering which has allowed McLaren to establish a strong early lead in the championships.

“Whenever the conditions are challenging for the tyres, in terms of overheating in particular, then the car seems to be doing a good job of keeping the tyres in a very good window, and the car is gentle on the tyres,” he told media, including PlanetF1.com.

“There’s very good engineering behind this. We have looked holistically at all the characteristics that you can have in a car that influence the behaviour of the tyres.

“I just want to take the opportunity to praise the work that has been done by the engineers at McLaren in terms of identifying these factors, designing these factors in a way that is practical to actually cash in this kind of benefit, and then master one of the matters that, still in Formula One, looks like it’s a little bit of a black art, which is dealing with tyres.

“So very proud of the team, and very proud of our drivers that have been part of this process.

“I would say, especially when it’s hot, there’s another characteristic which I think works very well with our car, which is the cooling system. When it’s hot, our car – that is relatively closed from a bodywork point of view – there’s also been great engineering into the cooling system car layout.

“So, in these conditions, we see that the excellence of engineering at McLaren has reached a point where it can make a difference to this kind of extent.”

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