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Formula 1’s latest technical controversy has erupted at the Brazilian Grand Prix amid suspicions that some teams have allegedly used water to cool their tyres from the inside.

With the fight for the championship between Red Bull and McLaren getting super close, there has been an increased probing between the two squads over elements of their cars.

McLaren came under fire for its mini-DRS rear wing, which the team had to alter in the wake of complaints about the concept being outside the rules.

Then more recently there was a row over Red Bull having a front bib adjuster inside its car that some of its rivals suspected could have been used to adjust ride height during parc ferme conditions.

Both matters brought intervention from the FIA, but neither squad was found to have done anything illegal.

Now, however, Motorsport.com has learned that attention has shifted to a trick that Red Bull suspects has been used by several of its rivals – believed to include McLaren – to help cool tyres during races.

The theory is that some teams have found a way to inject water – or another unspecified liquid – into the tyres through the valves shortly before tyres are fitted to the cars in the race.

Having such a coolant inside the tyre could help keep the bulk of the tyre cool to help limit thermal degradation, and ultimately help deliver better race pace.

It is understood that concern about the activity erupted after the Singapore Grand Prix when sources suggest some rims of teams were spotted with liquid inside them – something that is unusual.

That is because teams normally make an extra effort to try to remove all moisture from inside a tyre as that helps to ensure teams can hit perfect peak tyre pressure.

Indeed, F1’s technical regulations make a point of trying to limit the amount of moisture that teams can remove rather than add.

Article 10.8.4 states that: “Tyres may only be inflated with air or nitrogen” and “any process the intent of which is to reduce the amount of moisture in the tyre and/or in its inflation gas is forbidden.”

Motorsport.com has learned that the FIA has been alerted to the concerns about the activity, and its head of single-seater matters Nikolas Tombazis has been in dialogue with Pirelli and teams at the Brazilian GP to discuss the matter.

Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner talks with Nikolas Tombazis, FIA Single Seater Director

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Furthermore, it is understood that Tombazis kept a close eye over the removal of the tyres from their rims after the sprint race in Brazil to see if there was any evidence of unusual liquid there.

Although there has been no official comments from the FIA over the matter, it is understood that there is scepticism about whether or not teams would be trying to exploit matters in this area.

The FIA scrutineering report from the sprint race also confirmed that tyres were inspected, and given the all clear. It said: “The tyres used by all drivers during the Sprint today have been checked.”

It is understood that the idea of adding moisture to tyres has been outlawed for many years through a technical directive that the FIA issued previously, so anyone found to have been adding liquid in this manner could risk being reported to the stewards.

The race pace mystery

Red Bull has been hunting for answers as to why its race pace advantage over rivals disappeared this season – especially at the Miami GP where a number of other squads made a leap that could not be explained through upgrades.

Max Verstappen said ahead of the Brazilian GP that the long runs of rival teams are hard to fathom.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

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“Some teams made huge steps on race pace, which is quite odd,” he explained. “Because if you look at our car compared to last year, we made steps in qualifying and in the race.

“The others also make a decent step in qualifying pace, but then they make a much, much bigger step in race pace. And that’s something that’s hard for us to understand.”

Team principal Christian Horner told Motorsport.com recently about the swing of form in Miami: “If one was a sceptic and somewhat paranoid, you say something’s changed. Because even when we’ve gone back to the configuration of the car that, for example, we had in China, we still have some of the same issues that we have experienced.

“But, in saying that, it changed for everybody, potentially. But I’ve never in a season seen a swing so exaggerated. Obviously we have to get on top of that. We have to understand it.”

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After setting the fastest time early in practice, things went very wrong for Denny Hamlin. The car fired off into Turn 3 as a high rate of speed, spinning sideways and backing into the outside wall.

“Stuck throttle! F****** stuck throttle!” exclaimed Hamlin the radio. There was significant damage to the rear clip of the car. Hamlin drove the wounded No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota back to the garage. As he climbed from the car, he slammed his helmet down on the roof in frustration.

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry

Photo by: Bozi Tatarevic

After narrowly missing out on the win at Homestead, Hamlin enters Martinsville 18 points below the cut-line. It would have been difficult, but he could have pointed his way in with the benefit of stages, but that path is likely gone now. Unless something surprising happens to the Hendrick Motorsports drivers in front of him, a win may be necessary on Sunday.

He will not take part in qualifying and will start from the rear of the field. And Martinsville is a track where passing is difficult and those in the back are lapped rather quickly, so this really puts him behind for Sunday. The team has the choice to either make repairs to the primary or go to a backup for the race. At the moment, they are trying to fix the primary and will run it through inspection to check the measurements.

Hamlin was the first driver to miss out on the final four in both 2022 and 2023. He is the winningest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history without a championship as well. It’s a glass ceiling he simply cannot seem to brea and a myriad of issues have plagued him throughout the playoffs this year.

Joey Logano  and Tyler Reddick are the two drivers locked into the title-decider at Phoenix with Christopher Bell +29 points and William Byron +7 points on the cut-line.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has been demoted to fourth in Formula 1’s Brazilian sprint race due to a five-second penalty for a virtual safety car infringement.

Verstappen climbed from fourth to third in the 24-lap sprint on Saturday after passing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, whom the Dutchman had been stuck behind for the majority of the sprint race.

But immediately afterwards Verstappen was flagged by race control to the stewards for a potential infringement under the late virtual safety car, which was called for Nico Hulkenberg’s stricken Haas.

Verstappen was deemed to have been below the mandated delta time having drawn alongside the second-placed McLaren of Oscar Piastri on the entry into Turn 4.

A hearing between Red Bull and the FIA stewards confirmed that, and Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty which drops him back to fourth, behind Leclerc, in the updated classification.

Verstappen has also received a penalty point on his licence, bringing him up to seven points over a 12-month period, with 12 points leading to a race ban.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

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“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 1 (Max Verstappen), team representative and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, timing, telemetry evidence,” the FIA verdict read.

“Article 56.5 states in part ‘All cars must also be above this minimum time when the FIA light panels change to green.’

“The driver was 0.63 seconds below the minimum time at VSC end when the FIA light panels changed to green. This indicates a sporting advantage gained under VSC.”

Verstappen, who was joined by Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley in the hearing, reportedly explained that he was aware he was under the delta time, but was too late to correct it by the time the track went green again.

“The driver explained that as he was awaiting VSC to end and he got the notification that he was below the minimum time, he attempted to correct the error but failed to do so by the point that the panels turned green,” the statement continued.

“This is a breach and the standard penalty is applied for the advantage gained at that time. The net effect of this put the driver ahead of where he was at the start of the VSC and not as a result of the car in front falling back.”

McLaren took a one-two win in the race, with polesitter Piastri giving way to team-mate Lando Norris late on as the latter fights Verstappen for the drivers’ championship.

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