The FIA has asked McLaren to make alterations to its rear wing amid multiple protests, as F1 drivers give their view on it.
The flexi-wing saga took a new turn post the F1 Azerbaijan GP, when videos emerged of McLaren’s rear wing consisting of a ‘mini-DRS’, a small flap which opened up at straights on its own, to create a gap. The rear wing is mostly used in low downforce circuits like that in Baku.
Questions were raised with the FIA, who have been monitoring the flexi wings especially on the front end of the car. For a long time, they have maintained that McLaren and other teams have passed the deflection test and nothing has been found which is illegal with anyone.
“The FIA is closely monitoring the flexibility of bodywork on all cars and reserves the right to request teams to make modifications at any point during the season,” said the statement from the FIA. “However, if a team successfully passes all deflection tests and adheres to the regulations and technical directives, they are deemed to be in full compliance, and no further action will be taken.
“The FIA is currently reviewing data and any additional evidence that has emerged from the Baku GP and is considering any mitigating measures for future implementation. This is part of the standard process when scrutineering technical legality, and the FIA retains the authority to introduce regulatory changes during the season if required.”
In another round of checks between Azerbaijan and Singapore, the FIA has changed its stance and has requested McLaren to make alterations to its rear wing, so that it doesn’t flexes as much as it is doing.
Here’s what the drivers say –
Oscar Piastri: “Is it too much fuss about a few millimetres? Well, I mean, it’s legal. So yeah, as long as it passes all the tests. We get tested a lot, and it passes. So yeah, I mean, it’s certainly not the magic ticket or magic bullet for why we’re competitive. But it’s legal. It passes all the tests. So I’m pretty happy with it. To be honest, the first time I knew it did that was the same time as everyone else last week. And it’s not a grey area. It gets tested every week. It’s legal. They’ve got a lot of different tests for the rear wings now. So, yeah, I honestly didn’t even know that it did that until three days ago. So, yeah, obviously in the sport you find every bit of performance that you can without breaking the rules. And, you know, I feel like that’s what we’re doing. And that’s what you need to do to become a championship winning car and championship winning team. To be honest, I think it’s natural. I think you look at any car that’s been competitive and it always gets scrutinised to the highest level.
“You look at the Mercedes a few years ago with their rear wing and the infamous 50K touch. You know, you look at a lot of the teams trying to work out Red Bull’s DRS effect for the last couple of years. You know, we’ve seen flexi front wings in the past and all sorts, so I think naturally, you know, there’s going to be scrutiny of just people curious to know why your car is competitive. So, I certainly don’t think it’s personal to us. You know, all the other teams are trying to find, including ourselves, we’re not just thinking that we’re the best out there and we don’t need to learn anything from anyone else. You know, we’re always looking at the other teams as well. So I think it’s only natural and when you’re at the front and when you have a car within a second of you for 30 laps and the rear wing camera on there for 30 laps, then naturally people are going to notice it more too.”
Max Verstappen: “I mean, of course, I’ve seen the footage. That’s the beautiful side of social media, right? Everyone has the video ready. And then, of course, a lot of discussion is made. I mean, it’s quite clear, of course, that it’s moving, like, it’s at speed. It might be smart, might not be smart, but at the end of the day it’s up to the FIA of course to decide if it’s legal or not right? Of course Baku is not the first time that it was used so there were other tracks as well. I guess it’s important to come with a clarification. But that’s not only on the rear wing it’s the front wing as well. What is allowed? How much is it allowed to bend? All these kind of things, right? So we just have to wait and see, yeah from our side.”
Lando Norris: “No, I’m very happy – they’re doing a very good job. So, yeah. I mean, everything’s been tested, everything’s legal. So we’re doing what we can – that’s what Formula 1 is for, exploring everything within the rules. We’ve cleared all the tests and everything, and the FIA is happy. So now I’m proud. I’m happy with what the team is doing. They’re pushing the limits, and that’s what you’ve got to do if you want to fight at the top and fight against people who are also known for doing such things and exploring every area possible. No, I’m more proud of the team for pushing every single area that we can. We’ve not been in situations where we could do that in the past, but now we’re in that position.
“So I’m very happy. It’s actually a cool thing to see. I think, in my opinion, there are so many rules, there are so many things in place, but teams, including us, are finding ways to just explore and look at different things other people have not thought of. But, as much as you might see us doing it, there’s still plenty of other teams doing it that you just don’t see on TV and maybe have not led a race, and you don’t see on certain cameras and stuff. But it’s not just us, so yeah, it’s a big game. It’s a big race out there. But, from my side now, I’m very happy with what McLaren’s doing.”
Sergio Perez: “Yeah, it sounds like it. It’s clear that it’s out of the regulations, and it is a legal car. So, yep, very surprised with it. Also, they’ve done a few races with that rear wing on but nothing did happen. I think, from our side, we just have to focus on ourselves. We had a massive damage in terms of championship and they’re now ahead. So I think we are able to get back into it and hopefully get some strong momentum on our side, then that would be really good. I really thought that that was not part of the regulations, right? My personal opinion, you see clearly the rear wing is bending, but obviously, they’ve done the checks, and it seems that this is a legal car. I’m pretty surprised. I thought that wasn’t allowed, but it seems like it is allowed. So, yeah, I think I’m as surprised as you all are – it’s definitely a massive benefit. I’m not an expert on technical stuff, but I’m sure the team is looking at it, why all of a sudden, now it’s allowed. So, yeah, very, very surprised.”
Charles Leclerc: “Yes, [there is] definitely a dialogue that we’ve already had. I mean, I think Fred will go on that matter a bit more into detail, but from what I’ve been told, it’s controversial to say the least. So, yeah. I’ll leave that here and I’ll let Fred comment on it a bit further.”
Here’s FIA penalising Max Verstappen
Here’s Lando Norris on surprise to finish ahead of Max Verstappen
Here’s Andrea Stella crediting Lando Norris for Oscar Piastri’s win
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