The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has made a pivotal move that could alter the dynamics of the 2025 Formula 1 championship. With immediate effect from the Chinese Grand Prix, a fresh technical directive (TD055A) has been issued, introducing more rigorous static load tests for the rear wings, aiming to regulate the contentious issue of flexing wings.
McLaren, the team that has taken the lead in the championship so far, is likely to bear the brunt of this new regulation, according to the views of former F1 champion and current analyst, Johnny Herbert.
The FIA had previously ramped up deflection tests for rear wings at the Australian Grand Prix, intending to extend these tests to front wings from the Barcelona event. The latest TD for the Chinese Grand Prix comes as a response to multiple anonymous teams exhibiting significant visual flexibility in their rear wings, despite passing the static load tests in Australia.
Pierre Waché, technical director for Red Bull, has pointed fingers at McLaren and Ferrari for continuing to use the ‘mini-DRS’ technique. Yet, the FIA has asserted that all cars met the requirements of Article 3.15.17 during the Melbourne event, thereby deeming all vehicles raced in Melbourne as legal.
After McLaren’s impressive performance during the qualifying rounds at Albert Park, where Lando Norris barely fended off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in a rain-soaked race, Herbert argues that the FIA’s latest move could hamper team McLaren.
He shared his views with CasinoAppsThatPayRealMoney.com, stating, “McLaren had many issues with the rear wing falling backwards. It’s the gap that’s moving and they still have this epoxy tooling block that fits in. This complies with the standard FIA requirement where the 75kg is then tested.”
Herbert highlighted that the trailing edge of the wing, which is known to flex, allows the DRS flap to open from three millimeters to around fifty millimeters. This minor flexing can result in significant gains on the track, potentially providing a kilometer gain.
This isn’t the first time McLaren has been in the spotlight for a similar issue. A similar scenario unfolded in Azerbaijan last year. The directive aims to halt this flexing, which can provide a slight performance gain. It’s these minor advantages that can make a significant difference in a racing situation, making it challenging for a vehicle to overtake one that’s going a kilometer faster due to higher efficiency and reduced drag.
According to Herbert, once a team realizes an advantage from the wing, they will notify the FIA, leading to further investigations. This is the reason why cameras were installed on vehicles in Australia. “If they’ve deemed it to be an issue, they’ll tighten up that loophole,” Herbert explained.
He believes that the new directive will leave no room for flexibility, meaning that teams will lose out on the gains they made from the three millimeters of flex. While it’s impossible to make anything entirely rigid, the FIA can certainly reduce the minor performance gains.
This development could potentially shift the balance in the championship, and it seems McLaren is at the center of the storm this time. Other teams will likely strive to close this loophole to prevent McLaren from gaining an edge. While some may question the fairness of this move, Herbert sees it as part of Formula 1’s continual evolution. He concludes, “Are McLaren doing things that the other teams haven’t done at the moment or are they pushing the limits? No, this is just part of what Formula 1 is always about and they’ve done the better job.”