Lando Norris, the star driver for McLaren, has voiced his confidence that the recent regulations imposed by the FIA, aimed at reducing rear wing flexibility, will not affect his team’s performance. This statement comes in the wake of the FIA’s announcement on Monday that has tightened the reins on the degree of flexibility permissible from rear wing elements.
The FIA’s new directive limits the gap between the two elements of the rear wing to not exceed 0.5mm when a load of 75kg is applied, a significant decrease from the previous 2.0mm. The intent behind this more rigid test is to prevent teams from designing bodywork that creates a gap between the elements at high speeds, thereby reducing drag. This technique, often referred to as “mini-DRS,” has been effectively curtailed by the new regulation.
McLaren, which was under the limelight last season due to its rear wing design, seems unfazed by this development. Norris asserts that the team need not alter anything in light of the new rule. “Ours is fine. In fact, ours was probably too good. We’re probably not pushing the limits enough, honestly,” he stated.
He further emphasised that if the new directive were applied retrospectively, McLaren would have been in the clear. The implication here is that the new rule targets other teams, prompting Norris to express that perhaps McLaren needs to push the boundaries a bit more.
Although Norris refrained from identifying any specific teams likely to be affected by the FIA’s heightened scrutiny, he anticipates Ferrari emerging as a stronger adversary than they were in Australia. He expressed optimism about McLaren’s performance but also maintained a realistic outlook, acknowledging that each race and weekend present different challenges.
During the Melbourne race, McLaren held a substantial lead over its competitors midway through the race, a gap of about 15 seconds. Norris attributed this lead partly to safety cars bringing competitors back into the race, making him hopeful yet cautiously optimistic about future races.
Norris expressed surprise at the gap in qualifying, stating that while McLaren aimed to be the fastest, they expected Ferrari to be more competitive. According to him, Ferrari’s performance during the race runs was a lot closer to McLaren’s than any other team, and their race pace on Friday was potentially even better than McLaren’s.
This unpredictability, Norris suggests, is part and parcel of the sport. A situation can flip from ideal to challenging in no time, which is what makes racing so compelling and unpredictable. As such, despite the FIA’s new regulations and emerging competition, McLaren remains hopeful and ready to adapt to whatever comes their way.
