FIA declares all 2024 wings legal after clarification sought on McLaren, Mercedes designs
The FIA has released a statement declaring that all 2024 Formula 1 front wings are currently legal and have shown to be compliant with the governing body’s tests.
Following the Italian Grand Prix, it became apparent that Ferrari and Red Bull wanted greater investigations into the legality of the McLaren and Mercedes front wings. This came after onboard footage showed a greater degree of motion within the wing designs over the weekend.
Since the Belgian round of the championship, the FIA has been monitoring the movement of front wings with cameras to determine if the current flex tests are fit for purpose and need revising. It has been adamant that this has been a data-gathering exercise, rather than an inquest into teams that may require punitive measures for their designs.
When it introduced those added checks, the FIA contended that it would not be looking to change any regulations this season – instead, any rules changes deemed necessary (if at all) would only be introduced as early as 2025.
Engineers have frequently attempted to induce aeroelasticity into their aerodynamics within the regulations since it can often be used as a way to shed drag in a straight line, as long as they pass the load tests mandated by the FIA.
It has become clear that introducing a small amount of flex in the front wing has been beneficial for the current-day regulations, as it can help to address the balance difficulties set out by the reintroduction of ground-effect floors.
The FIA’s statement reads as follows:
“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.
McLaren MCL38 front wing, Italian GP
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
“Since the Belgium Grand Prix, the FIA has acquired additional data during FP1 and FP2 sessions to assess dynamic behaviours 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).
“This will ensure a large database allowing the FIA to draw the most objective picture of the situation and quantify differences between the various dynamic patterns observed on track.”
It adds that “no component is infinitely stiff” and this sets the provision for a small amount of flex under a given load. The rules state that “any part of the trailing edge of any front wing flap may deflect no more than 5mm, when measured along the loading axis, when a 60N point load is applied normal to the flap,” per Article 3.15.5 in the 2024 technical regulations.
The FIA added that “the front wing has been a challenging area throughout the years, because the aerodynamic loading patterns between different competitors varies and it is therefore difficult to find a load vector which will cover all types of front wing construction.
“Other areas of the car – including rear wing and floor edges – have much more consistent aerodynamic loading patterns across the grid, making for a more universal load-deflection test.
“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.”
