“It was impossible,” Sergio Perez claims Red Bull never used banned F1 car trick
Sergio Perez declared that Red Bull never used the banned 'T-tray' car trick to gain an unfair advantage in chassis performance.
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Sergio Perez and Christian Horner (via Formula 1)
Red Bull was in the spotlight ahead of the 2024 US GP after they were suspected of modifying the car parts under Parc Ferme conditions. The team modified the chassis, specifically concerning the front bib clearance which was under investigation. Amidst the ongoing turmoil, Sergio Perez wholeheartedly backed his team.
FIA recently took it upon themselves to enforce stricter checks on the ride height of the various chassis on the grid. Red Bull was suspected of manipulating the ‘T-tray’ trick, essentially adjusting the tray under Parc Ferme conditions.
Max Verstappen held a neutral stance by claiming that he wasn’t aware of any such mischief. Sergio Perez, on the other hand, fully supported the Milton Keynes outfit.
Perez made it very clear that there was nothing Red Bull was doing illegally. The Mexican believed that manipulating the T-tray for an advantage was never talked about since it was impossible to gain an advantage. Additionally, he recalled the 2023 US GP when Red Bull set the height of the chassis ‘to the moon’ further clearing the team of any ill intents.
There has been nothing that we were doing. We never actually talked about it. It was impossible. I remember here that last year it was a sprint event, so we ended up with the ride height close to the moon.
Sergio Perez told motorsport.com
Sergio Perez was ‘aware of’ T-tray manipulation existing despite Red Bull never using it
Sergio Perez was aware of the availability of such a system for Red Bull to gain an unfair advantage. However, Perez noted that the team was afraid of a penalty being levied due to excessive plank wear, much like Mercedes at the 2024 Belgian GP. Moreover, the system was not available to Milton Keynes to be used.
It was completely out of it because we were concerned about something like what happened to Mercedes (disqualified for excessive floor plank wear) that could happen to us. I knew it existed but it was not available to us [to be used].
Sergio Perez added
Red Bull’s current dwindling form has already caused the team to lose the constructors’ championship lead. Max Verstappen also faces a massive threat from Lando Norris for the Drivers’ Championship victory. Regardless, the end-of-the-season battle would peak in excitement for the drivers’ and fans alike.
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Aditya Pandya
(1476 Articles Published)