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Martin Brundle reacts to Red Bull controversy

Brundle has a striking theory about the Red Bull controversy

Today at 18:26
  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Martin Brundle has reminded Red Bull of the problems with personnel leaving the team. The former Formula 1 driver suggested someone could've left Red Bull and passed on the knowledge of the car. This comes amid the Red Bull controversy surrounding the front bib and the FIA holding talks with the Austrian team to make car changes. He also explained how any ride height changes are illegal under Parc Fermé but reiterated how there is "no smoking gun".

A number of key team members have left Red Bull recently, including Rob Marshall, who is now the Chief Designer at rival McLaren. Brundle hinted that this could be what has triggered the controversy. "In this business, personnel move around teams and take knowledge," Brundle said on Sky Sports.

Brundle reacts to the Red Bull controversy

Brundle isn't surprised by the situation. "Now in Formula One, the regulators, the FIA, make rules to stop the teams just creating incredible machines and it's the team's job to get around that. Famous examples of that would be the F-duct and double diffuser 2009. Clever but legal. And these sort of grey areas in the margin where they look for the advantages, that's the innovation in Formula 1. If they are adjusting the ride height in parc ferme, that's illegal, you can't do that. So that's beyond the grey area," Brundle stated.

He also isn't surprised to hear Zak Brown and McLaren's reaction as they battle each other in the Constructors' Championship. "That's the nature of our business. You've got two ways of winning. One is to go faster. The other is to slow your rivals down," Brundle added before highlighting there is no proof of any wrongdoing.

"There is no proof that Red Bull have been using that to their competitive advantage. There is no smoking gun. But this is a big deal on these ground effect cars that came in in 2022. If you can run it a little bit lower all weekend, you've got a big advantage. So that's what we're looking at. And if Zak didn't say what he just said, he's not doing his job properly," Brundle concluded.