Formula 1’s rising star, Lando Norris, candidly expressed his thoughts on McLaren’s approach to the recent rear-wing flex limitations, stating that they were not “pushing the limits enough.” This comes in the wake of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile’s (FIA) renewed efforts to tighten regulations on rear-wing flexibility ahead of the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix.
Earlier this year, the FIA implemented a new cap on the rear wing flex for the inaugural Australian Grand Prix. It also announced more stringent restrictions on front wing flexibility scheduled to take effect at the ninth round in Spain. Following observations at the Melbourne Grand Prix, the FIA has decided to further tighten the rear-wing parameters.
The updated technical directive stipulates a maximum rear-wing flex of 0.5mm under a vertical load-bearing test of 75kg on the mainplane. Additionally, a special tolerance of 0.25mm is applicable exclusively to China. The directive aims to counteract the alleged ‘mini-DRS’ effect, a concept that sparked controversy for McLaren last year in Baku.
When asked about the potential stress his team might be facing while adjusting to the new directive in Shanghai, Norris responded succinctly, “Nope.” He maintained that their design was compliant and required no modifications, stating, “Ours is fine. In fact, ours was probably too good. We’re probably not pushing the limits enough, honestly. If this technical directive was applied for last weekend, we’d also be fine.”
The young McLaren driver opined that the directive seemed to be targeted at other teams rather than his own. He went on to suggest that this could mean McLaren needed to push the envelope a bit more.
The FIA has been closely monitoring several teams throughout the Australian GP weekend, including McLaren, while also conducting post-race checks on vehicles from Red Bull, Mercedes, and Williams. Following these inspections, the FIA decided to reduce rear wing flex tolerances by a significant 75%, indicating that they believe certain teams were taking advantage of the existing regulations.
Red Bull’s Technical Director, Pierre Wache, expressed his belief that McLaren, among others, were exploiting the rules regarding wing flexibility. “It is still going on,” he stated during pre-season testing, adding, “I think Ferrari and McLaren are doing the mini-DRS stuff still.”
Red Bull, based in Milton Keynes, also claims that any tightening up on wing flexibility will give them an edge. However, whether they can catch up with McLaren in the upcoming races remains uncertain, especially given Norris’s firm assertion that his team is comfortably within rear-wing flex limits.
The FIA confirmed that no team had breached the previous 2mm tolerance during the Australian Grand Prix. This aligns with McLaren’s Andrea Stella’s comments to Sky Sports, where he stated, “We don’t have to make many adjustments at all for the start of the season.” Stella alluded that slight adjustments would only be required from the ninth race, emphasizing that McLaren is continuously exploring the front wing flexibility area.
As the narrative unfolds, the question remains: Can Red Bull keep pace until McLaren is reined in? Given Lando Norris’s unwavering confidence in McLaren’s compliance and potential, the answer is far from certain.
