Max Verstappen suspects McLaren F1 of breaking the rules during the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Verstappen's fourth title was much more difficult to achieve than the Dutchman's third, as his RB20 suffered from balance problems in the second half of the season and teams like McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes continued to win.
A series of technical controversies throughout the season clouded matters.
First, Red Bull and Ferrari questioned the flexible front wings of McLaren and Mercedes before the Papaya team sparked controversy over its flexible “mini-DRS” rear wing.
Red Bull also criticized unnamed teams for allegedly injecting water into tires as an illegal cooling method.
The FIA looked into all matters and found no party guilty of illegality, although McLaren was forced to change its rear wing.
Verstappen, however, remains wary, telling Telegraaf today: “There were things happening in the background which meant we had no chance in some races.”
“I know this for sure, but no one will ever admit it!”
Strong words but obviously lacking in precision. Andrea Stella, the director of McLaren F1, recently reacted to these suspicions, not to say accusations…
“Sometimes we have seen that, especially with these water in the tires stories, you have to deal with misinformation.”
“These are things that you know are completely absurd. But they still become news and you can't ignore them. You have to deal with them in a certain way. It was a new dimension for a team like ours which had not fought for victory for a long time.”
“It ultimately required a lot of attention and it was never enough. It was easy to say 'enough is enough, it will be an easy victory', but that's not how it works in Formula 1. You have to repositioning yourself all the time and it’s hard to accept in some ways.”
