Red Bull vindicated as F1 paddock ‘whispers’ claim FIA ‘found something it didn’t like’ at McLaren

The battle between Red Bull and McLaren has been a tense affair on and off the track since last season as the former questions the legality of the latter’s car.

McLaren rapidly rose to the top of Formula 1 in 2024 by winning their first constructors’ championship since 1998. This prompted suspicion from Red Bull, who questioned if their Woking rivals’ success was achieved legally.

McLaren were forced to change their rear wing after the FIA found it was flexing too much in Baku last year. Furthermore, Red Bull accused McLaren of using water to cool the tyres in Sao Paulo, enhancing performance.

The Woking squad have denied any wrongdoing and have even taunted their rivals over the matter. CEO Zak Brown was seen drinking from a water bottle at the Miami GP with ‘Tyre Water’ labelled on it.

But this has not stopped Red Bull from bombarding the FIA with complaints about McLaren’s car. Their latest protest comes after they discovered that the Woking outfit’s rear brake drums run cooler than those of other teams by using thermal imaging cameras.

McLaren have won all but one race thus far in 2025, displaying their dominance in Miami by beating their nearest rival by over half a minute. Red Bull are not convinced the MCL39 is entirely legal, but ‘whispers’ in the paddock suggest their complaints have been vindicated.

F1 paddock ‘whispers’ claim the FIA confiscated parts of McLaren’s car after finding ‘something it didn’t like’

Speaking via The Race YouTube channel, journalist Jon Noble discussed the theories around McLaren’s rear brake drums and how they can manage the tyres so well.

He suggests that the FIA ‘found something it didn’t like’ on the McLaren and confiscated parts, hence why they were not as dominant as many thought in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

While Oscar Piastri still won both races, the MCL39 was not as commanding, especially for Lando Norris, who qualified outside the top five at both events and finished P3 and P4.

“Suggestions that they show the McLaren brake drums running much cooler than other teams fuelled wild talk of there being some potential tricks at play,” said Noble.

“Various theories have quickly got thrown around as a result, some of which have been easier to discount than others.

“There’s been the idea of McLaren using clever carbon fibre weave for its drums, to help leak cool air to the wheel rims, or of it using phase-changing materials to help limit temperature gains or change air-flow direction.

“And then there have been wild accusations of it blowing vapour inside the drums, which would be strictly illegal, as liquid cooling under the brakes is forbidden under F1’s rules.

“There were also erroneous paddock whispers that the FIA had found something it didn’t like on the McLaren and confiscated parts earlier in the season.

“This supposedly explained why the squad was not as dominant as many people expected in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Have Red Bull found solutions to their problems through McLaren?

Amid their constant complaints to the FIA, the F1 paddock has ‘suspicions’ about Red Bull and if they are more focused on ‘external reasons’ for their underperformance rather than their own issues with the car.

Max Verstappen has been on pole more than any other driver in 2025 with three, but he has only converted one to victory. The four-time champion has struggled to battle the McLarens in the races, with Miami being his heaviest defeat.

Despite running a new floor, Verstappen complained of brake issues as he finished almost 40 seconds behind Piastri in fourth. After their finding through thermal images, Red Bull have a ‘theory’ to copy McLaren’s trick, but it is having an adverse effect on the car.

Red Bull will take a ‘leap of faith’ with brake upgrades inspired by McLaren at Imola, but they need more than updates to the brake ducts if they want to reclaim the title. McLaren proved to everyone they were ‘miles ahead’ in Miami and will take some stopping during the European season.