Okay, now it’s clear – finally, after two days of sensationalist claims and emphatic denials – what the Red Bull Floor Height story is really about.

Let me explain the facts and you can form your own opinion.

A significant increase in performance in qualifying would be possible if the height of the front floor could be increased between qualifying and the race. Especially with current ground effect cars. The last millimeters of the small gap between the floor and the track surface can put the entire subfloor under massive tension. But if you go too deep in the race, the plank will wear below the allowable depth of 10% – which is a disqualifying offense. As well as changing the ground setting between qualifying and the race.

Unlike the other cars on the grid, the Red Bull has two mechanisms to change the front ground height. There is conventional access under the car – and additional access from the cockpit. The first is used, for example, to change the floor height during the training session. The second is used to ensure a more precise fit between the floor and chassis when installing a new floor. This requires removing the nose and removing the heel supports of the pedals. A mechanic then dives headfirst into the cockpit while another stands over the nose with the adjustment tool. The man with his head in the cockpit adjusts it precisely according to the view and leads the man with the adjuster outside.

This mechanism has been installed on all Red Bulls for at least the last three years – and is on the FIA’s open source parts list, i.e. the list of parts of which teams must provide drawings so that other teams can copy them if they wish. This was a regulation that was introduced as a cost-saving measure at the start of the hybrid regulation.