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Front wings at McLaren and Mercedes were under scrutiny by their rivals in recent weeks
Formula 1’s governing body has brushed aside complaints regarding the front wings being used this season by both McLaren and Mercedes.
In a statement by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the sport’s governing body confirmed that “all front wings are currently compliant with the 2024 regulations.” This statement comes after both Red Bull and Ferrari raised questions over those front wings, and whether they were too flexible to comply with the sport’s technical regulations. Video footage from onboard cameras present on McLaren’s MCL38, for example, showed the car’s front wing flexing on the straights before returning to its normal position under braking.
Following Lando Norris’ dominant win at the Dutch Grand Prix, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner stated that “[t]he way that the front wings are being used are quite different. If you look at the front wing angle of McLaren and Mercedes, they’re very, very different to the rest of the grid.”
After the Italian Grand Prix, won by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur raised his own concerns, noting that he would address those concerns with FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis.
On Tuesday, the FIA released a statement regarding their ongoing testing of front wings, noting that all teams comply with the current technical regulations. The statement read in part:
“The FIA is examining front wings at every event with numerous checks (conformity of surfaces, conformity of deflections) with respect to the relevant F1 Technical Regulation. All front wings are currently compliant with the 2024 regulations.
“Since the Belgian Grand Prix, the FIA has acquired additional data during FP1 and FP2 sessions to assess dynamic behaviors through an FIA-mandated video camera which captures areas of the front wing which are not visible through the official FOM cameras.
“This exercise will continue at least up until Singapore to ensure every team will have been running the mandated FIA camera on different types of tracks (low, medium, high and very high downforce).”
The statement also noted that “[n]o component is infinitely stiff, which is the reason why there are load-deflection tests in the regulations.”
The governing body also maintained the right to conduct additional testing in the future. “The FIA has the right to introduce new tests if irregularities are suspected. There are no plans for any short-term measures, but we are evaluating the situation with the medium and long-term in mind.”
