As if it wasn´t enough that Sebastian Vettel cried foul after retiring from the European Grand Prix last Sunday, adding that deploying the safety car was part of a conspiracy, the entire legality of the RB8 has come under fire.
If it isn´t one thing, it´s another. Being on top is sometimes not what it´s cracked up to be, it seems. Especially if you are driving for the Red Bull team. Genius, brilliant and innovative are definitely words that can be used to describe the Red Bull team and especially their mastermind Adrian Newey. The point of building a F1 car, is to do so within the limits of what is legal, but to find the loopholes no one else sees. But after Mark Webber´s remarkable battle from the back of the grid to 4th in the race, the FIA might just want to have an extra careful look at the double floor of the car.
Where some observers believe that Sebastian Vettel´s comments about a conspiracy are a little over the top, there are those who believe that he might have drawn un-wanted attention to the RB8 and its so-called double floor.
According to Italy´s Autosprint magazine,Webber´s car just narrowly made it through the post-race scrutineering. The FIA officials were looking at the new rear suspension layout, and paired with the double floor installed for Valencia, Vettel not only took pole for the race, but dominated the race until the time when the safety car was deployed.
Red Bull did not have the start to 2012 they expected, and from the first race in Melbourne, it was clear that the Austrian team wasn´t going to be cruising to a third consecutive title. No doubt they built a strong base model, but so did McLaren and Lotus. Adding the double floor for Valencia added a second per lap in race speed, but if the floor is used for the British Grand Prix next week, it will be interesting to see how dominant the RB8 can be.
