The serious point behind Brown's water bottle mockery of Red Bull

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown's use of a water bottle marked "tire water" at the Miami Grand Prix was a response to Formula 1 rival Red Bull designed to raise a "serious point" to force teams to raise all allegations formally rather than through "back channels".

Last year Red Bull grew increasingly suspicious about where McLaren's improved performance had come from and this included a theory that McLaren was adding water to its tyres to help keep them cool.

Red Bull suggested it had "evidence" of this, which is understood to have upset McLaren, as it insists there was and is zero evidence of such trickery because it has done nothing of the sort.

The FIA was prompted to look into the matter at the Brazilian Grand Prix, though, although detailed analysis by the governing body - which included discussions with tyre supplier Pirelli - found no indication of wrongdoing.

Red Bull's suspicions have continued into 2025 with other theories emerging about how McLaren could be deriving its advantage in tyre cooling and management, and in Miami on Friday Brown opted to respond in an unusual manner.