In Miami Gardens, Florida, McLaren Racing’s chief executive, Zak Brown, is pushing for the FIA to establish a regulation preventing teams from making unsubstantiated claims against each other.
Brown’s suggestion gained attention during the Miami Grand Prix when he humorously used a water bottle adorned with noticeable “TIRE WATER” stickers. This was seemingly a light-hearted jab at Red Bull Racing’s principal, Christian Horner, who reportedly voiced concerns to Formula 1’s governing body about McLaren utilizing water to influence tire temperatures.
“The water bottle served as a playful nod to an important issue: teams have a history of accusing each other,” Brown noted on Saturday. “Recently, a specific team seems to lean on these tactics more frequently than others.”
He elaborated that there’s already a structured method in place to officially challenge a team post-race, which involves formally identifying the issue and paying a fee. Brown believes that this approach should extend to all allegations to eliminate baseless distractions.
Under the current F1 protest mechanism, a financial deposit is required from any team filing an official grievance. Brown is advocating for this same formalized process to be applied to any publicly aired accusations, ensuring that they are documented and potentially reducing unwarranted complaints.
“If a team had to put money on the line and formally declare their allegations, it would likely discourage the unfounded claims that are common in our sport,” Brown continued. “Every team has the right to raise technical concerns, but they should be prepared to document and financially back their claims. If proven false, this should reflect in their cost cap, thereby curbing frivolous accusations.”
Brown proposed that the fee to file a complaint should be substantial enough to deter trivial accusations. Furthermore, if the claim holds merit, the fee should be reimbursed to the team initiating it.
“It needs to be impactful enough that a team would weigh the decision to spend on this over enhancing their own vehicle,” Brown explained. “Given how close we are to budget caps, no team would squander even a minor sum if it doesn’t contribute to performance. I’d estimate it at about $25,000.”
He emphasized his commitment to performance over distractions, stating, “Would I prefer to allocate $25,000 to a distraction or focus on improving my race car? My priority would always be the latter.”