Red Bull: Controversy Begins Over Tests Conducted Before Melbourne?

Red Bull is being criticized today for running a Renault engine in tests for a few days before the first Grand Prix of the season in Australia.

It is the German newspaper Bild that reports the information that a chassis, devoid of front and rear wings, was allegedly tested indoors, with a Renault engine, in the premises of the Austrian company AVL, which has within its walls several elements that can be used for various simulations.

The existence of this secret test – which remains to be proven – was allegedly revealed following the anonymous sending of documents to the FIA as well as to Mercedes, Ferrari, and Sauber, which could attest to correspondence between Red Bull, Toro Rosso, and Renault.

In fact, according to British technical expert Matt Somerfield, Red Bull allegedly refused to participate in the tests, and it was instead a Toro Rosso chassis that was used during the six-day tests. We are, of course, well aware of the ties between the two teams, and we also know the efforts made by the Faenza team to improve the French power unit.

However, Bild does not explain the presence of Red Bull test driver, Antonio Felix da Costa, in Graz during the same period. A presence that was confirmed by the driver himself on his Twitter account on March 6 with the following words: « Spending the weekend in Graz, Austria. But not by choice… »

Currently, no official steps have been taken with the FIA by any of Red Bull’s rival teams.