Eric Boullier clarifies McLaren’s compliance regarding flow meters
Following the controversy raised by Red Bull, Eric Boullier wanted to clarify the situation of the McLaren team by stating that the latter complied with the FIA's fuel flow directives during the race, thus remaining behind the line that the Austrian team did not hesitate to cross.
Reminder of the facts: Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull No. 3 was disqualified after finishing second in the Australian Grand Prix for exceeding the permitted fuel flow rate.
This is measured by a flow meter supplied by the FIA, but the Austrian team decided not to rely on it, thus going against the directives of the governing bodies.
Eric Boullier, the new director of McLaren Racing, explains the issue surrounding these flow meters: « It is clear that we quickly noticed there was a small precision problem with the different flow meters, but since early January, we have been working closely with the FIA to understand the needs and see if we could improve the system. Obviously, all the teams were invited to work together. »
Despite these small problems, the governing bodies decided that their flow meters would be the reference for determining compliance with the regulations. Eric Boullier explains the facts to us: « In the end, the FIA decided during the penultimate day of private testing in Bahrain that their flow meters would be the reference and that consequently we had to use them, so we knew we had to filter the signal a little; if you will, there was a small discrepancy and we had to be careful with the fuel flow. »
However, unlike Red Bull, McLaren complied with the instructions: « Ultimately, we followed the guidelines during the race and even throughout the entire weekend, like most teams. »
When asked what he thinks about the legal battle between Red Bull and the FIA, he responds: « To be honest, we already have enough to do on our side to comply with the regulations. It’s an issue between the FIA and Red Bull and we don’t want to comment on it. »
Red Bull seems really alone in this matter. Will they persist in their position for the second Grand Prix? In any case, these flow meters have not finished making headlines.
