‘Alleged evidence’ of tyre cooling trick emerges after Red Bull accusation

Red Bull spotted ‘alleged evidence’ of rival F1 2024 teams using water to cool their tyres in the aftermath of September’s Singapore Grand Prix, it has been claimed.

It comes after it emerged over the Brazilian GP weekend that Red Bull had raised concerns that some teams – including F1 2024 title rivals McLaren – have been adding water to their tyres to help manage overheating.

‘Alleged evidence’ of F1 tyre-cooling trick surfaces after Red Bull air concerns

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen took a giant step towards a fourth consecutive World Championship in Brazil, winning from 17th on the grid to extend his lead over McLaren driver Lando Norris to 62 points with three races of the F1 2024 season remaining.

Verstappen can mathematically be crowned World Champion at the next race in Las Vegas later this month, with the Dutchman poised to become only the second man in F1 history after Red Bull icon Sebastian Vettel to win each of his first four titles in successive years.

Despite Verstappen’s healthy position in the Drivers’ standings, reigning champions Red Bull currently sit a disappointing third in the Constructors’ table – 49 points adrift of leaders McLaren – having suffered an alarming mid-season slump.

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Verstappen’s victory in Sao Paulo marked his first win in 10 races, ending his longest barren run since the 2020 season, with Red Bull falling behind McLaren and Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship during the second half of the season.

Reports over the Brazilian GP weekend claimed that Red Bull are of the belief that McLaren and a number of other teams on the F1 2024 grid have been benefiting from adding a small amount of water into their tyres via the valves for cooling purposes, with F1’s governing body the FIA investigating the allegations.

Red Bull are said to be well versed in this practice, having previously employed it themselves before it was outlawed by an FIA technical directive some years ago, with the tyres produced by F1 supplier Pirelli notoriously prone to overheating.

Mario Isola, the head of Pirelli’s F1 and racing activities, revealed over the Brazilian GP weekend that the Italian manufacturer have found no evidence of teams adding water to their tyres, with no abnormalities seen in the data.

A report by Motorsport.com has revealed that Red Bull’s concerns originated at the Singapore Grand Prix, where Norris produced one of the most dominant displays of the season to convert pole position into a 20.9-second victory over Verstappen.

It is claimed that evidence of teams using water to cool tyres ‘was alleged to have been spotted with water and watermarks seen inside some rims after tyres had been stripped at Pirelli’s base post-race in Singapore.’

The report adds: ‘It is understood that the FIA inspected tyres and rims closely at the Brazilian Grand Prix to see if there was any evidence of extra moisture but nothing was found.’

The tyre-cooling trick is the latest development in the off-track battle between Red Bull and McLaren in F1 2024.

McLaren agreed to modify their full range of rear wings last month after a so-called “mini-DRS” system – designed to improve the car’s performance on the straights – helped Norris’s team-mate Oscar Piastri to victory in Azerbaijan.

Red Bull then found themselves at the centre of the “bibgate” row ahead of the United States Grand Prix, related to a mechanism in the cockpit allowing the team to adjust the car’s ride height.

The Milton Keynes-based team issued a statement during the US GP weekend that they have “agreed a plan going forward” with the FIA on the matter.

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