McLaren CEO Zak Brown taunted rivals Red Bull on the pit wall at the Miami Grand Prix. He drank from a water bottle marked ‘tyre water’.
At last year’s Sao Paulo GP, it emerged that Red Bull had accused McLaren of injecting water into the tyres. This allegedly helped them to keep the Pirelli compound cool and unlocked more performance.
Red Bull had seen water marks on the McLaren rims in Singapore, raising their suspicions.
While there was no concrete evidence of wrongdoing, the feeling of unease remained. Red Bull felt McLaren’s rise in 2024 wasn’t entirely fair after losing their constructors’ crown.
This year, the Woking outfit are the hunted. They clearly have the quickest car, though estimates of their advantage vary, and are already 77 points clear after winning four of the first five Grands Prix.
Red Bull investigation into McLaren tyre temperatures delivers ‘impossible’ result
According to Auto Motor und Sport, Red Bull have continued to scrutinise McLaren closely. Their latest investigation has seen them point thermal imaging cameras at the rear brake ducts on the MCL39 during pit stops.
They’ve seen ‘many blue spots’ around McLaren’s brake drums (i.e. cooler areas), and ‘a lot of orange and red’ on every other car. Red Bull believe it’s ‘impossible’ that their rivals have achieved this with ‘air alone’.
Thus, the suspicion that McLaren are illegally using water for tyre cooling has ‘resurfaced’. Brown’s team insist that the more desirable temperatures are simply down to ‘high downforce, good vehicle balance and innovation’.
In conjunction with their sister team Racing Bulls, Red Bull have been bombarding the FIA with ‘requests to solve the mystery’. The sport’s governing body will take a ‘particularly close look’.
Jenson Button raises Red Bull concern after hearing Max Verstappen’s Miami Grand Prix interview
If nothing comes of the FIA’s tyre investigation, Red Bull are banking on the Spanish GP rule changes to ignite their title bid. There will be a crackdown on front-wing flexibility.
The belief is that McLaren are taking advantage of the lenient regulatory landscape at present. Therefore, they could lose performance in Barcelona.
But Red Bull need to make sure they’re in a position to capitalise. They’ve introduced an upgraded floor at the Miami GP but Max Verstappen could only manage fourth in Sprint qualifying.
Jenson Button is unsure how long Verstappen will stay ‘calm’, as he was in his Friday evening interview, if he can’t win regularly. The Dutchman has repeatedly urged his team to focus on improving their car.
