Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner is unsure how the latest clampdown on flexi-wings will impact the Formula 1 pecking order as Alpine is forced to make a change.
The FIA informed teams ahead of the new season that front wing flex-limitations will be restricted as of Round 9, with rear wing flex restrictions in place at the season opener to the tune of 2 mm vertical movement on the main plane under a load of 75 kg.
However, during pre-season testing, Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache accused the likes of McLaren and Ferrari of abusing rear-wing flex rules, a phenom colloquially referred to as ‘mini-DRS’ after Oscar Piastri’s MCL38 was scrutinised in Baku last year.
The FIA found no teams in breach of rear wing flex regulations at the season-opener in Melbourne, but its surveillance prompted a new technical directive, effective for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, slashing the flexibility limit from 2mm to 0.5mm.
McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes haven’t had to make changes as a result of the Technical Directive, but there has been a change for some of the midfield outfits.
Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu told the Sky Sports broadcast team during practice at the Shanghai International Circuit that the VF-25 has had to stiffen its rear wing after being close to the margin on the 2mm limit in Melbourne.
As well as this, Alpine Racing Director Dave Greenwood confirmed to Motorsport.com that his team has made a change.
“We’ve had to do some work back at the factory to make sure we were in a correct place here, but I think that’s fairly normal in these situations,” he said.
“When a rule and an allowance of deflection changes, you need to check that you are going to be able to comply with that as well.
“I think you can imagine the time scales were very small, so it’s not like you can do something revolutionary. But yeah, there are things we can do to make sure we comply.”
Horner unsure of TD impact
Given that none of the top four teams have admitted to making changes, adamant that the rear wing flexibility has been adhered to both at Melbourne and Shanghai, it’s hard to see how this latest technical directive will impact the pecking order.
This was predominantly the thoughts of Horner when he was asked about the new rules during Friday’s press conference in China.
“Well, I mean, the FIA, it’s their job obviously to police these things,” Horner said.
“They obviously saw things that they weren’t particularly happy with at the last race.
“So therefore, as is their prerogative, they’ve tightened up those regulations through TD that came out this week.
“Now, what effect it has up and down the grid, I really don’t know.
“But that’s just part and parcel of Formula 1. TDs are almost forthcoming on a weekly basis.”
What could create a bigger impact, is the front wing flex clampdown in Spain later this year.
Horner has already commented on the matter, querying the timing.
“Yeah, it’ll be interesting the effect that it has – I guess the slight oddball about it is the timing of it,” Horner said.
“Why race nine? It might have been better to have been addressed during the off-season, because you end up doing sort of two specs of wings.
“But who will gain or who will lose from it, I think, is impossible to predict.”
READ MORE – Lando Norris: McLaren ‘not pushing rear-wing flex limits enough’ amid China clampdown
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