Fans can be forgiven for switching off when Formula One descends into one of its arcane rows over technical regulations, as happened in the build-up to this weekend’s US Grand Prix, with accusation and counter-accusation over the innocuous sounding element known as the “bib” or, with even more innocence, the “tea tray”.
Yet these forays into sniping over the rules, much as they do not stir the sporting soul, do matter. Especially in a tightly contested championship battle as this season has now become. The tiniest margin might make a difference and the two teams locked in battle, McLaren and Red Bull, know it. Bibtray-gate illustrates how the title protagonists are leveraging anything they can for an advantage, while Red Bull’s Christian Horner and McLaren’s Zak Brown, are rekindling what is already a rather healthy antagonism.
