Toro Rosso / Renault Sport F1: The FIA deems the tests legal
The FIA, after verifications, extinguished the rumor concerning possible illegal testing conducted by Red Bull and Renault before the start of the F1 season.
In early June, a minor controversy arose from the revelation by the German newspaper Bild, citing an anonymous source, of tests conducted over six days jointly by Renault and Red Bull (via Toro Rosso) on a chassis devoid of any wing but equipped with a power unit, all placed on a test bench equipped with a treadmill.
The question was whether such tests complied with the letter of the regulations, particularly Article 5.2 of Annex 8 of the Technical Regulations, which specifies that the use of a test bench is allowed under certain conditions (find out more in this article). Red Bull defended itself by initially stating that they had not conducted such tests—which is true, since Red Bull Racing did not officially participate—and secondly, that they were not prohibited in any case.
Autosport reveals that, in light of this information, the FIA sought to clarify the situation. After checks with Toro Rosso and Renault, the governing body reportedly determined that the rules regarding test limitations had not been breached.
Renault, through Rémi Taffin, Renault Sport F1’s track operations manager, responded: « It was about helping Toro Rosso and trying to close the gap we had at that time. We could use any available bench, so we seized this opportunity. »
