What Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff thinks about the bib affair at Red Bull, how he assesses the FIA’s reaction and what the next steps might be
According to the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the Red Bull bib affair has already been settled. However, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff does not appear convinced. He describes the matter as “egregious” and accuses the rival team of a smear campaign.
Because Red Bull had demonstrated to FIA officials on the sidelines of the USA Grand Prix in Austin how to adjust its bib (also known as a T-tray) in order to change the setup of the car. The team wanted to show how much effort is required for such an adjustment and refute the accusations.
Wolff thought this demonstration was “really great, the way they held the real broomstick in the car to show that this is the only way to adjust it. I wonder how long it took to build that.” The ironic undertone in Wolff’s voice was clearly recognizable in these remarks.
“I just didn’t realize that we use such Bugs Bunny devices in Formula 1,” he says. Seriously, Wolff adds: ”We all develop parts that meet the Formula 1 standard. We place the highest demands on the design of these parts, which are within the rules. When it comes to things like aero elasticity, you probably go as far as you can within the rules.
“But then there are certain parts where you can ask why they even exist. And it’s not enough to make a promise not to do it again.”
The Red Bull explanations are apparently quite sufficient for the world governing body, because Nikolas Tombazis, who is responsible for single-seater racing at the FIA, declared the bib affair to be ‘over’ in Austin.
What is Wolff’s position on this? He says: “I can’t speak for the FIA or for Nikolas. But it is something that has gone unnoticed for a long time. I guess the FIA leadership will look at this and consider what to do next.” McLaren boss Zak Brown had already expressed a similar view over the weekend.
Red Bull has already announced that it intends to compete with an adapted RB20 at the Formula 1 race weekend in Brazil. However, the team will still be competing with the car version that was last used in Austin at the upcoming Mexico Grand Prix.
