There has been an increased focus on teams working together over recent weeks off the back of dramatic improvements that AlphaTauri made thanks to its closer ties to Red Bull.
Ahead of a 2024 season, where AlphaTauri intends to use many more customer Red Bull parts than it has done in the recent past, some teams have voiced concerns about the potential for two teams to gain an advantage from working so closely together.
The FIA is well aware of the risks of teams benefiting from collaboration if they acted in a nefarious way.
However, it said the checks it does are robust enough to catch anything untoward – especially with an increased scrutiny that is placed on teams that openly work together.
Asked for his views on the questions raised about Red Bull and AlphaTauri, the FIA’s single-seater chief Nikolas Tombazis said that analysis of both cars had shown nothing to be worried about.
“We check teams that are in close proximity to each other a lot more closely than we check completely independent teams, exactly to make sure this thing doesn't happen,” he said. “That is a concern.
“It has been a concern not only between the two teams mentioned, but also among other pairs of teams.
“We believe that AlphaTauri specifically does have quite different aerodynamic solutions to the other company, and we don't think there's any sign of any direct collaboration.
“Clearly, they are working hard and they have made a step forward. But I don't think it can be said it's due to collaboration.
Source: Autosport