McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has said the FIA’s incoming clampdown on flexible front wings in Formula 1 is “no headache at all”.
McLaren was at the forefront of the flexi-wing debate last year as rival teams pointed the finger claiming the Woking-based outfit was exploiting the rules surrounding aero-elasticity.
Despite ramping up monitoring checks at the Belgian Grand Prix, the FIA found no team to be in breach of the rules, although admitted flexi-wings are a hard thing to govern.
The governing body looked set to leave the regulations as they were but last month issued a technical directive that has slashed wing flexibility under load-bearing tests from 15mm to 10mm.
Rear wings will be under scrutiny from the start of the season and the revised front wing tests will come into force for the Spanish GP, Round 9 of the 2025 campaign.
Despite the time that will be needed to adapt to the new technical directive, Stella told Sky Sports News that it’s “No headache at all. We don’t have to make many adjustments at all for the start of the season.”
However, it should come as no surprise that Stella added “There will be a small adjustment required from race nine.”
Still, Stella stressed that he sees no issue with the technical directive.
“I know it’s become a big talking point, but in terms of what makes us busy and what gives us headaches, actually there are completely different topics which have much more to do with gaining those tenths of a second, that I might have made look simple,” he said.
“I don’t want to look disrespectful to all the men and women at McLaren who work so hard and competently to actually make a faster car off what was already a very fast car in 2024.”
All teams will likely make front wing changes
It’s more than likely that all 10 F1 teams will have to make adjustments to their front wings before the circus rolls into Barcelona.
This comes off the back of Williams Team Principal James Vowles’ comments following the launch of his squad’s FW47 machine.
Vowles, beyond mentioning that the team’s pushed the incoming technical directive back from Round 7 in Imola to Round 9 in Spain due to the front wing graveyard that is Monaco (sandwiched in between as Round 8), said that “In terms of exploiting that area, I think you’ll find all teams are doing what they can, but there’s just going to be teams that are more advanced in that area than others.”
He also argued that given Williams isn’t “market leading” in front wing flexibility, the technical directive won’t have as big an impact on the team.
“The rule change at round nine doesn’t particularly trouble me either, or trouble us as a result of that, and it probably will have a more profound effect on others.”
READ MORE – F1 teams pushed FIA to postpone Imola flexi-wing clampdown amid Monaco difficulties
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