TECHNICAL SAGA: McLaren on the edge with front and rear wing flexibility

On the back of their latest victory at Baku, McLaren have come under the spotlight after onboard footage from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has fuelled speculation that the Woking-based outfit might use a tricky rear wing design.

During several races that took place in the summer months, Formula One’s governing body, the FIA performed additional checks of the flexibility of front wings, using video footage. The first round that saw the Paris-based body carry out a test was the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

While the technical regulation allows a certain degree of flexibility of various aerodynamic parts, including the front wing, the FIA felt in recent months that some teams took the ‘flexi-wing’ approach to extremes. Mercedes and McLaren have been believed to attract the biggest attention of some rival teams and the FIA.

The new ground-effect cars have proved difficult to balance out and aerodynamic upgrades have unsettled the balance of several cars on multiple occasions over the course of the last two years. The regulated underfloor and front wing dimensions tend to exaggerate the tendency for an F1 car to understeer at low speeds which can be addressed with some flexibility of the front wings.

Although the FIA confirmed after the Italian Grand Prix that no Formula One team is in breach of the technical regulations regarding their front wing designs, footage showed that the McLaren’s and Mercedes’ were distorting under load at the Autodromo Internationale di Monza.

At last Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, it has emerged that McLaren potentially gained a significant amount of top speed through a tricky rear wing assembly that was spotted flexing along the straights.

Oscar Piastri won the Baku race after having been able to fend off a series of attacks from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Although the two teams appeared to have used similar downforce level at Baku, the Monegasque was unable to retake the lead despite using his DRS on the 2.2km start-finish full-throttle section where the DRS zone was extended by 100m longer compared to the previous season.

Footage from the rear-facing onboard camera showed that the upper flap of the MCL38’s rear wing was distorting under load, with the most visible aspect of this being the outer leading edge of the upper flap which tilts upwards as speed builds.

Commenting on the matter, the FIA has confirmed the legality of McLaren’s rear wing design, but it has also revealed that it is currently assessing the data gained at Baku.

“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,” a statement read.

“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.”