Lando Norris, the McLaren driver, showcasing his skills at Silverstone.
McLaren has reportedly received an FIA reminder to cover a hole in the brake drum after practice to comply with the regulations, after Red Bull apparently raised the alarm.
Both McLaren and Red Bull will hope to chase victory this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but ahead of the on-track action commencing, a feature of the McLaren brake drum continues to attract attention.
McLaren reportedly receive FIA regulations reminder
German publication Auto Motor und Sport reported that Red Bull had spotted a hole on the McLaren brake drum at recent races which needs to be covered once practice is complete, but McLaren and another team had allegedly not re-covered them.
During practice sessions, teams have the permission to install sensors in order to collect data. This could potentially clarify the reason behind the existence of this hole. However, Red Bull had suspicions that the holes were being kept open to create an unauthorized cooling mechanism. As a result, they decided to file a complaint.
According to reports, tape was used once again to cover the holes during the Austrian and British GPs.
And according to Motorsport.com, the FIA has been in touch with McLaren to ‘quietly remind’ the team to cover the brake duct holes so that the MCL38 complied with the regulations under parc ferme conditions, though the governing body apparently looked upon this case as ‘very minor’.
To ensure clarity, Article 3.13.2 of the Technical Regulations of Formula 1 specifies that an aerodynamic seal must be installed around the outer section of both annotated volumes of each drum. This seal should completely encircle the drum in a continuous manner over a 360° arc, and its purpose is to prevent any substantial flow of aerodynamics or heat transfer between the drum and the axle.
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In the past few weeks, there has been a growing verbal feud between McLaren and Red Bull, mainly led by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. This intensified following a collision between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen during their fight for the top position in the Austrian Grand Prix.
Brown has not minced words when it comes to expressing his belief that Red Bull is fearful of Verstappen. He also criticized Christian Horner, the principal of Red Bull, for his questionable actions and statements. Brown has been quite vocal about this issue, even going as far as seeking Norris’ opinion on the matter during their time in Hungary.
When asked if he sees Red Bull as an enemy as well, Norris responded, “No, we consider them competitors. We view every team as a competitor.”
“Reciprocity is key in the game; while you receive from other teams, you must also return the favor at times.”
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