McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have strongly hinted that Red Bull may have been caught breaking Formula 1 rules.
During Thursday's gathering for the media in Austin, word quickly spread through the paddock that several teams were accusing a rival of using an illegal mechanism on the floor 'T-tray' or 'bib,' allowing the car's ride height to be adjusted from the cockpit while in parc ferme.
Red Bull has admitted to being the team under scrutiny.
"Yes, it exists," a source within the team confirmed. "Although it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to run."
Red Bull added that it has discussed the part with the FIA and agreed on a way forward.
The FIA confirmed that altering the ride height in parc ferme is "strictly prohibited," but stated that they have "no evidence" of any team actually doing so.
However, the FIA has implemented "procedural adjustments to ensure that the height of the bib cannot be easily changed."
Red Bull is debuting a new floor on its updated 2024 car for the US Grand Prix.
"Will they improve now due to the updates?" asked Russian commentator Alexey Popov. "Or will they fall even further behind because of this (T-tray) story?"
Lando Norris, who is trailing Max Verstappen by 52 points with six races to go, admitted he isn't sure whether Red Bull used the device illegally.
"I don't think it really will change anything in the scheme of things," Norris said. "But I think it's good that the FIA are doing such a thing.
"There's a difference between black and white stuff like this, and pushing the boundaries in Formula 1 by creating new things and innovating within the space that you're allowed to innovate in."
Teammate Oscar Piastri went even further: "From what I've heard, or what I've been told, something like this is not pushing the boundaries, it is clearly breaking them."
Meanwhile, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton isn't ready to accuse Red Bull of cheating.
"I think our sport is all about innovation and Red Bull are leaders in that area," said the Mercedes driver. "All the teams look at the regulations and try to play around with them in a clever way to get the maximum advantage.
"Even if that means pushing the envelope a little bit."
As for Verstappen, he said the device was purely for adjusting the ride height on a disassembled car.
"Once the car is assembled, we can't touch anything," Verstappen added. "We didn't even discuss this issue at the briefing. I don't care about the story.
"It doesn't change anything for me. Everything is fine. We have new stuff here, and let's see how it goes."
