Zak Brown wants legal document to settle Red Bull F1 front bib debate

McLaren CEO Zak Brown wants Red Bull Formula 1 management, along with staff past and present, to “sign an affidavit” proving its front bib device hasn’t been used illegally.

The Red Bull RB20 has a front bib adjuster, one that Team Principal Christian Horner says has been on the FIA’s open-source parts list for three years.

It can be accessed from deep within the footwell and not when the car is fully assembled, according to Red Bull.

With suspicions arising in the United States Grand Prix paddock that Red Bull could have used the device under parc ferme, the FIA moved to place a seal upon it and sought the Milton Keynes outfit out to demonstrate the device in operation.

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After its investigation concluded the FIA’s Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis considered the matter closed shortly after Brown had called for a deep dive into the device history to be carried out.

Brown, however, isn’t ready to stop there, and speaking to the Daily Mail said “I’d like to see the senior leadership, the former chief mechanics and the current mechanics sign an affidavit stating that they have never used or have no knowledge of it being used.”

An affidavit is essentially a legally binding written document, that when signed, commits the signee to acting truthfully – like swearing under oath with pen and paper.

It’s an extreme measure to take, but Brown sees this as an extreme set of circumstances, despite McLaren’s Team Principal Andrea Stella accepting the FIA’s judgement.

“The suggestion in the pit lane from a handful of people is that it has been used in that manner, so the only way to bottom it out is the old-fashioned ‘sign here’, stating what has gone on,” Brown argued.

“I know if I was presented with an affidavit and the consequences of not telling the truth were severe, I’d tell the truth.

“I am confident the matter is dealt with going forward. But if they have done it in the past, there is no grey area about it.

“Modifying your car in parc ferme is as clear a breach of the regulations as possible.”

Brown wants punishment in case Red Bull guilty

Horner has said the FIA’s investigation was promoted by “paranoia,” but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has called Red Bull’s font bib device “outrageous”.

Meanwhile, Brown isn’t ready to let the situation die down as he wants a hefty punishment handed out if Red Bull is found guilty of technical wrongdoing.

“[There needs] to be a deterrent,” he said. “We have seen drivers excluded from races and championships.

“And I am not saying Max [Verstappen] should be excluded, by the way.

“We have seen teams excluded from races and championships.

“If, and I say “if”, parc ferme rules have been broken, the penalty needs to be of that magnitude, depending on whether they did it once or have been doing it regularly for three years.

“There must be consequences.”

READ MORE: McLaren seeking answers from FIA over Red Bull front-bib device