Toto Wolff has fiercely criticised Red Bull, claiming the team’s actions regarding the T-Tray issue are unacceptable.
The “T-Tray” controversy (also known as “Bibgate”) continues to escalate following the Austin Grand Prix.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has been the most vocal critic of Red Bull, even suggesting the team should face exclusion from Formula 1 unless their engineers can provide written assurances that they have never cheated by altering the car’s ride height outside of parc fermé conditions.
Despite this, Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s head of single-seaters, has declared the matter closed. But was this merely an attempt to pacify the situation?
For Toto Wolff, however, the issue is far from resolved.
“From what I’ve seen and heard from afar, it’s outrageous,” said the Mercedes F1 boss.
Wolff remains sceptical of Red Bull’s explanations. The Milton Keynes team claims they installed this complex system solely to adjust the ride height during practice sessions.
“I believe we all design parts that adhere to F1 standards and meet the highest specifications within the regulations.”
“Sometimes, with elements like aerodynamic elasticity, you might push the limits — but there are other broader components, and certain parts that make you wonder why they exist. Why create something adjustable that’s so complex to access? It’s suspicious.”
Red Bull staged a demonstration to prove that the car’s ride height could not be easily adjusted remotely, using a 60-centimetre wrench. The point being: if the ride height had been tampered with, it would have been obvious. This rather basic tool was humorously dubbed the “Bugs Bunny tool” by a paddock mechanic, as it resembled something out of a cartoon.
“I love the fact that they put a tool [a wrench] in the car to show it’s the only way to adjust it! I wonder how long it took them to come up with that and fit it in there,” Toto Wolff remarked sarcastically.
“I didn’t realise that in F1 we were using tools straight out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon. It’s not enough to just say ‘this is it,’ and promise it won’t happen again.”
Wolff, therefore, challenges Nikolas Tombazis’ view, maintaining that for him, the Red Bull saga may only just be beginning.
“I can’t speak for the FIA, nor for Nikolas,” he said. “Clearly, it’s something that went unnoticed for quite some time.”
“But I think the FIA leadership will now need to look into this and ask themselves, ‘What are we going to do about it?’”
The pressure is now firmly on the FIA…
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Wolff Slams Red Bull: T-Tray Controversy Far From Over Wolff Slams Red Bull: T-Tray Controversy Far From Over
