Formula 1 could be facing another row over the use of the ‘mini-DRS’ after recent claims that Ferrari and McLaren were using the concept in pre-season testing.
Last week, Ferrari and Red Bull Team Principals Fred Vasseur and Christian Horner spoke about the subject of flexible front wings.
The pair were pleased to receive some ‘clarity’ from the FIA on whether McLaren or Mercedes was pushing the boundaries with flexibility limits of its front wing designs.
McLaren chief Andrea Stella stated that it was ‘no headache at all’ for the team when it came to the governing body’s clampdown on the issue, as it wouldn’t enforce any changes to its car ahead of the new season.
However, recent onboard footage from testing in Bahrain has raised suspicions that some teams are once again experimenting with this concept.
An unnamed team principal told The Race: “Looking at the videos we have seen, some of the rear wings out there appear to be quite flexible.
“It is something we are keeping a very close eye on.”
Last year, McLaren was believed to be opening up the slot gap to help reduce drag and boost top speed – hence the nickname ‘mini-DRS’ was born.
And some teams have reportedly been experimenting with this again, including making the entire rear wing structure rotate back.
Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache revealed to the digital-only motorsport channel, that on the final day of pre-season testing, he was suspicious of some outfits taking advantage of the idea again.
“It is still going on,” Wache said.
“I think Ferrari and McLaren are doing the mini-DRS stuff still.”
‘Mini-DRS’ saga expected to continue at season opener
F1 teams’ designs are not strictly checked by the FIA for legal compliance during testing, therefore, it is unlikely that there will be any formal complaints for the time being over any squad’s rear-wing antics.
But once the F1 paddock heads to Australia for the first round of the 2025 season, it could all be set to kick off once again if teams suspect its rivals of messing with the ‘mini-DRS’ concept in Melbourne.
Wache, who joined Red Bull in 2013, predicts the issue at hand to be the topic of conversation before the Australian Grand Prix.
“It will be, it is quite visible,” he stated.
As a result of the displeasure towards McLaren’s rear-wing design after the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the FIA spoke with the Woking-based squad, who subsequently made alterations to the wing going forward.
The FIA made further progress towards preventing the use of any further rear-wing tricks by changing the regulations.
The slot gap width was adjusted from a minimum allowance of 10-15mm to 9.4-13mm, while still maintaining an upper limit of 85mm when DRS was activated.
Changes were also made to the regulations regarding the DRS bodywork position, which can now only be in either the open or closed state — flexing to intermediate positions is no longer allowed.
Article 3.10.10 of the F1 technical regulations states: “Except in the event of a DRS failure or the transitioning from one position into the other the DRS bodywork can have only two positions, such that the DRS bodywork position must be the same before and after each state of deployment.
“The transition time between the two positions must be less than 400ms.”
The revised regulations also ensure teams have to stiffen up the rear-wing mainplane.
A new Article 3.15.17 states: “The distance between the two sections of RV-RW-PROFILES and RV-RW-TIP inboard of Y=525, must not vary more than 2mm when two loads of [0,0, -750]N each, are applied simultaneously to the rear wing profile forward most section only.”
READ MORE: Ferrari and Red Bull glad to see ‘clarity’ on F1 flexi-wings
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