Mark Webber’s Red Bull car has been declared illegal a week after winning the Monaco Grand Prix.
The FIA, the governing body, was forced to investigate a clever aerodynamic tweak developed by Adrian Newey, the Red Bull’s team’s brilliant chief technical officer, after the Australian roared to victory last Sunday in front of thousands of spectators around the famous harbour front of Monte Carlo and tens of millions of television viewers.
Webber led from start to finish in a drive of authority and speed in one of the closest finishes of the season. It was also the second victory for Red Bull after Sebastian Vettel’s win in Bahrain. Red Bull are the only team to have won two grands prix in a season that has produced six different winners in the first six races - a first for Formula One.
Newey’s designs have brought Red Bull two drivers’ and two constructors’ world championships in the past two seasons and Webber’s victory looked liked confirmation that Formula One’s most successful designer had come up with yet another trick that would put the team ahead of the field. But the introduction of two holes in the car floor infuriated rivals and there were dark mutterings of a protest in the hours leading to the race in Monaco last Sunday. Although Ferrari and McLaren were tipped to complain, it is thought they were discouraged by the prospect of tainting Formula One’s showpiece event of the year.
However, Charlie Whiting, the FIA director, who had authorised the Red Bull floor holes, promised to look again. Red Bull thought they had discovered a loophole in the FIA’s complex rules, but the governing body now says it disagrees “with this view and consider it implicit that fully enclosed holes may not be located there”.
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The ruling is not retrospective so Webber’s first victory of the season stands, although Red Bull faces a race against time to rebuild their cars for the Canadian Grand Prix a week tomorrow. It remains to be seen whether their improved performance in Monaco disappears down the illegal holes.
One man hoping they have been pegged back is Lewis Hamilton, whose name was attached to some wild rumours this weekend that he was about to walk out of the McLaren team before the end of the year. McLaren were forced to react to stories circulating on the internet that Hamilton was so bruised by his lack of victories this season he would rather walk than stay on at the team that has nurtured his career from his early teenage years.
But Hamilton has no desire to leave McLaren, a team that has provided at least two victories in every season of his career. McLaren have also prepared a deal worth as much as £100 million that would keep him with the team for up to five years. Hamilton’s present five-year deal, which has paid him £75 million, comes to an end this season.
Hamilton has repeatedly said that he was happy to stay with McLaren, even on Sunday night, after a disappointing Monaco Grand Prix in which he was overtaken for third place by Fernando Alonso and Vettel, eventually having to settle for fifth place.
Although Hamilton’s management are known to have contacted rivals, with Red Bull at the top of the list, no other approaches have been made. Hamilton is also a more settled personality this year and is driving at the top of his game and seems to have relaxed again at McLaren. The 2008 world champion believes his time will come and he is still in touch with the leaders in one of the closest world title contests for a generation.