FIA investigate and clear McLaren of 'bogus allegations' about rear brake design after Miami Grand Prix dominance

Oscar Piastri has reportedly been cleared of any illegality to his car's rear brake design after an extensive investigation was prompted following his win at the Miami Grand Prix.

McLaren's dominance on the track this season has caught the attention of all on the grid, with the likes of Red Bull boss Christian Horner questioning aspects of the design.

Mercedes' George Russell was the closest competitor to McLaren duo Piastri and Lando Norris in Miami, crossing 30 seconds after the pair to claim the final spot on the podium.

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However, suspicions around the systems used to cool the outer surface of McLaren's rear brake drum continue to grow.

Horner first questioned if McLaren had been injecting water into their Pirelli tyres last year but didn't make an official protest call against the rival team as there was no evidence of foul play.

The FIA confirmed Horner's suspicions to be incorrect following the Singapore Grand Prix in 2024 as a review into the team's system found no concerns.

Similar investigations were reportedly conducted at the Miami Grand Prix, with the FIA also confirming the cooling decision on the rear brake drum is legal.

Amid speculation from the Red Bull principal, McLaren team boss Zak Brown took a cheeky swipe at his rival in Miami as he was spotted drinking from a water bottle that had the label 'tire water' on the side.

Brown then followed the cheeky act with a direct call to Red Bull to submit an official protest or stop making "bogus allegations".

"There's a proper way to protest a team at the end of the race, and you have to make it formal, disclose where it comes from, put some money down," Brown said.

"I think that process should be extended to all allegations to stop the frivolous allegations, which are intended only to be a distraction.

"If you had to put some money and put on paper and not back channel what your allegations are, I think that would be a way to clean up the bogus allegations that happened in this sport, which are not very sporting.

"If someone does believe there's a technical issue, by all means, you're entitled to it."

When asked about his prior comments about rival car designs, Horner noted that a similar situation was created by McLaren against Red Bull in early 2024.

At the time Red Bull were the most dominant car on the grid, with Max Verstappen eyeing to claim his fourth world drivers' championship title.

However, concern around Red Bull's front suspension were raised by McLaren.

"I'm not suggesting that there's anything illegal on the car," Horner said.

"Well done to McLaren, they were in a league of their own.

"Of course in Formula 1 there are always going to be questions raised. [McLaren] did exactly the same about the front suspension on our car last year.

"It's inevitable when you're running at the front, as we have for the last few years, you always come under more scrutiny.

"McLaren have got the car to beat at the moment, that's quite clear. They're going to be tough to beat over the next few races."

While Horner's suspicions have been dismissed by the FIA, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff admitted he "has no doubt that [McLaren] stay within the rules".

"It's just really good development [with] that car," Wolff told Motorsport Week.

"They've understood how to manage the tyre much better than everybody else and, in my opinion, it's totally legit.

"From a team management point of view, we should never when somebody is doing a better job than you, we should not look at that and say 'cheating'... that's not the right attitude."