Red Bull is adamant: « no active suspension »

Within the Red Bull Racing team, the rule is very clear: the cars do not have active suspension, in any form. Christian Horner, the director of RBR, states: “We don’t have it, it’s as simple as that.”

The team is ready to challenge any competitor who tries to develop such a system for the upcoming Grand Prix. The qualifying pace of the RB6 is astonishing to the point that some people believe the handling could be aided by an intelligent shock absorber system that lowers the car during qualifying laps.

In the paddock, some are putting forward a detailed theory: the Red Bull would use compressed gas to lower the car during qualifying sessions, and then the gas would be released after a certain period or after reaching a certain temperature. During the race, this would provide an advantage with a ride height capable of better handling the heavy fuel load.

The team has always denied developing such a system. After a detailed inspection in Sepang, the FIA found nothing. Red Bull’s rivals, such as McLaren, are looking to introduce their own suspension systems in order to improve their performance in qualifying.

Horner warned the other teams because you can’t change the suspension adjustment system between qualifying and the race. It’s illegal: « If McLaren presents such a system in China, we will protest because it is theoretically forbidden. On Saturday night, the FIA examined our car in detail, and everything went well since there’s nothing illegal to find anyway. We don’t have this system on our cars. »

It is understood that the FIA is considering putting an end to the prospect of an expensive spending war between teams with the creation of complex suspension systems that help optimize the car for qualifying and racing. The least costly solution would be to allow a simple adjustment of the cars’ ride heights between Saturday and Sunday. Such an initiative would require a modification of the technical regulations and, consequently, would need unanimous support from the teams, which seems unlikely.

Red Bull, through its director, acknowledges being ready to support the FIA in this approach, which would put an end to all allegations regarding the car designed by Adrian Newey: « I would like to support this approach as it would allow us to save money. »

A 2010-2011 season marked by economy. F1 adopts a survival mode in the face of this global financial crisis. An open war between teams to develop a suspension system, where a regulation change could simply meet the needs of the teams. The future will tell if reason will prevail in the paddock.