The topic is a recurring theme in Formula One and it is over the battle between the teams and the FIA to meet the sport’s governing body’s tests which define whether a team’s car is legal or not. Noises over outlawed flexible bodywork come around year after year and in 2024 it was McLaren who were under the microscope for what was described as their ‘mini-DRS.’

Theres a very good reason why the teams are obsessed with this aspect of F1 car design, because bodywork – particularly the front and rear wings – that flexes under the load of the increased air pressure reduces drag along the straights and increases top speed.

This is exactly what the DRS is designed to do. When the cars are corning they have a higher angle of wing attack to increase downforce, but as the DRS is opened the drag and downforce is dropped with the result the cars go quicker in a straight line.

 

 

 

FIA U-Turn over flexi wings

Having said they wold investigate this issue no further in December last, the FIA changed their collective mind and via a technical directive to the teams, informed them they would be fitting camera’s to a number of the cars during Friday practice in Melbourne. 

Various dots were placed onto the livery of the car so the camera could use them as a point of reference to observe any flexing and all this is necessary because the FIA’s standard static deflection tests are not capable of revealing the flexing which may not merely occur in a vertical fashion.

Whilst McLaren were not found to be guilty of using an illegal ‘mini-DRS’ last year it was notable after months of their rivals complaining the team did tone down this effect on the rear wing as Neil Houldey, the teams Technical director, explained to Autrosport.

“We did it knowing the solution was legal. There was feedback from other teams that were not happy with it. And actually the FIA, after discussing it with us, didn’t want that proliferating and didn’t want to force other teams to have to find those solutions.

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FIA asked McLaren to drop ‘mini-DRS’

“So, they asked us to drop the effect to a level that was similar to some of the other teams; actually slightly lower, because other teams, there are a few other teams who had to make similar changes.

“We were happy to do that. We’ll try and take opportunities where we can, just as everyone else does. But we’re always trying to work with the FIA for the best of the sport.”

Come testing this year and the issue predictably raised its head again and it was McLaren who were the focus of everyone’s attention. Yet the analysis provided by the FIA from their Friday investigations in Melbourne are surprising. All of the teams in some way or another appear to be utilising a greater flex integer wings than the FIA believes meets the criteria.

But the DRS effect in Australia showed that amongst the leading teams – Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari – similar straight line speed gains were made. Across the grid the average speed gain was 23kph with Mercedes finding an extra 1kph while Ferrari were down one. McLaren and Red Bull were bang on the average and the increase in top speed created by this is around 8%.

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New investigation delivers concrete verdict

Not only did the FIA regulate for a new investigation into flexi-rear wings during the weekend in Melbourne, but now they will increase the stringent nature of the static deflection tests come the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix in three days time.

“Having analysed footage from the rear wing deformations combined to the static deflections measured inside the FIA garage in Melbourne, the FIA has concluded that sufficient grounds exist for a tougher test to be introduced from the forthcoming Chinese Grand Prix on the upper rear wing,” said a statement from the FIA.

With just days before the race in Shanghai begins the FIA is changing the goalposts for what passes as legal and what in fact does not.

Article 3.15.17, introduced for 2025, states that “if 75kg of vertical load is applied on either extremity of the rear wing mainplane, the distance between the mainplane and the flap (also known as ‘slot gap’) must not vary by more than 2mm,”

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FIA slash flexible tolerance allowed

From the Chinese Grand Prix onwards this tolerance will be slashed to just 0.5mm, but given the short notice the FIA will adda tolerance allowance of a further 0.25m for the coming weekend. The 0.5mm allowance will be rigidly applied from the third round in Japan in three weeks time.

added the statement. Given the Shanghai event begins in just four days’ time, the FIA confirmed that a one-off tolerance will be added into the new reduced 0.5mm deflection limit for this weekend’s round before the change takes full effect from the following race in Japan on April 4-6.

The FIA confirmed that under the old 2mm flexing allowance for the season opener that “during the Melbourne event all cars tested against the requirements of Article 3.15.17 and [were] found to comply, therefore all cars raced in Melbourne were deemed to be legal”.

The new test could see a team fail FIA scrutineering should this be the case and the team not have a legal version of the rest wing to replace the one they have planned to use, they could be disqualified. This would cause an enormous row and to a certain degree it suggests the FIA believe the teams do have solutions to a significantly reduced tolerance allowed.

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Marko believes new test is advantage Red Bull

Dr. Helmut Marko made a strange comment during the Australian Grand Prix calling for the FIA to change its approach how they decide whether something is legal or not. “The teams simply have much more manpower than the FIA,” he told Servus TV. “So in my view, what cannot be verified cannot be permitted.”

How the FIA would justify disqualifying a component because they think its illegal but can’t prove it, is something Dr. Marko didn’t fully explain. Yet Red Bull are bullish according to sources close to the team, that the flexi wing clampdown will move them closer to McLaren. 

Journalist Erik van Haren reports that Marko had some inside knowledge of the impending FIA technical directive given he predicted a faster turnaround for Red Bull’s fortunes than most would have expected. 

“On Sunday, insiders were already reporting that the FIA would be checking rear wings more strictly from now on,” he wrote in De Telegraaf newspaper. “It is one of the reasons that he expressed himself rather optimistically about closing the gap with McLaren, which is clearly too fast at the moment.”

“Within Red Bull, they think that the new guidelines of the FIA will certainly affect the competition,” the report concluded.

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Brundle mocks Red Bull’s Dr. Marko

The first Formula One race weekend of the 2025 season is done and dusted and many of the tantalising questions from pre-season testing have been answered. McLaren are definitely the team to beat at this early stage of the year, while even a “horrible” Red Bull car is capable of extraordinary feats in the hands of max Verstappen.

Mercedes appears to have the edge over Ferrari, which will please Toto Wolff no end and his selection of junior driver Kimi Antonelli to replace the departing Lewis Hamilton now appears to be a masterstroke. Antonelli was the best of the rookies in Melbourne last weekend with a drive from P16 to finish less than two seconds behind his team mate in P4.

The young Italian made a daring overtake in the closing laps to pass Williams’ Alex Albon, something missed by the world feed live at the time. Only Oliver Bearman of the remaining first race of the season rookies managed to finish the rain affected race in Melbourne…. READ MORE