Prior to last weekend’s Australian GP, there was one major controversy in F1 bubbling behind the scenes. Not for the first time, the FIA was investigating the issue of flexible rear wings – often referred to as ‘Mini-DRS’.
This innovation, first observed at McLaren in Baku last year, has been the subject of significant discussion among teams.
Over the winter, the FIA decided to impose tougher measures and tests on the emergence of flexi-wings.
However, after last weekend’s action in Melbourne, the FIA have immediately pushed forward with the implementation of an even stricter technical regulation.
Why the FIA are introducing stricter regulations
F1 is a sport, perhaps more than any other, defined by grey areas.
Teams often push the limits of the regulations in order to achieve advantages over their rivals.
In some cases, the FIA give the green light for teams to implement ideas that involve a more unique interpretation of the regulations.
At the end of last year, it was understood that flexi-wings would fall under this category.
Over the winter, however, the FIA decided that tougher measures were necessary.
Specifically, new technical regulations were drafted to eliminate front wing flexing – a grey area that has attracted immense attention in recent months.
These changes were set to be applied for the Spanish GP, providing teams with some breathing space to make adjustments.
Crucially, though, the FIA also introduced certain measures (such as new cameras) to observe rear wing movement at round one.
The Federation’s observations have triggered an immediate reaction, with the intention of preventing teams from circumventing their tests.
Traditionally, the FIA would test wing flexing using static tests.
However, it is understood that some teams have found methods to pass these static tests – whilst still benefiting from flexible wings on track.
As a result, new measures are being enforced – effective immediately.
Winners and losers from the FIA’s latest directive
At this stage, it is unclear exactly how the latest FIA clampdown will impact the pecking order.
It is no secret that McLaren were the first to push the limits of aeroelasticity of last season.
However, this does not necessarily mean they will be the most affected by these technical changes.
After all, the Woking-based operation stated over winter that stricter tests were not a major concern.
Still, it should be noted that the expectation before Australia was that tougher tests would be implemented at the Spanish GP (round 9), rather than in China.
This means teams have to make instant alterations, rather than more gradual ones.
Regardless, this weekend in Shanghai will provide more clarity on how the MCL39 is affected.
Elsewhere on the grid, some teams will benefit from this change – provided they were not already pushing the limits of what the regulations permitted.
Crucially, it was Red Bull Technical Director, Pierre Wache, who first suggested during pre-season testing that other teams were still using the ‘Mini-DRS’ trick.
In fact, Wache specifically pointed the finger at McLaren and Ferrari:
“It is still going on,” he told The Race in Bahrain.
“I think Ferrari and McLaren are doing the Mini-DRS stuff still.”
Considering that Red Bull first sounded the alarm in testing, it seems safe to assume the RB21 should be unaffected.
Then again, even this hypothesis is difficult to verify, at least before this weekend’s Chinese GP begins.
Still, it seems clear there will be more conversations about flexi-wings over the coming weeks.
Given that the FIA felt the need to immediately implement new measures after their observations in Australia, this new directive could have a significant impact across the field.
