Max Verstappen isn’t thinking about whether a front wing flexibility clampdown will peg back Formula 1 Constructors’ standings leader McLaren beyond the Spanish Grand Prix.
Front wing flex restrictions will be enforced from Spain, Round 9 of 24, onwards, and McLaren has admitted revisions will be needed to the MCL39 for then.
Red Bull has pondered whether that will help peg McLaren back, and there’s a feeling that if Verstappen can stay in the title hunt until then (he’s currently one point behind leader Lando Norris), the championship picture could swing dramatically.
The pragmatic Verstappen isn’t thinking in such terms.
“I don’t like to really think about it too much,” he said.
“I just focus on finding performance in the car. As soon as we are close to that level, then I know that it’s going to be fine.
“But we are not there, we first need to get to that point. Because otherwise there’s no point to even discuss the championship.”
Probed further on what Red Bull’s view of the Spanish GP weekend is, Verstappen said, “I haven’t asked.
“I’m not thinking about Barcelona yet,” he concluded.
Verstappen resists being drawn into McLaren rear wing flex debate
In the present moment, some have argued McLaren is exploiting rear wing flex restrictions beyond sporting fairness.
McLaren was accused of exploiting the rules with an overly flexible rear wing last year in Azerbaijan, and the term ‘mini-DRS’ was coined.
The team was forced to stiffen up its rear wings, and the FIA tightened the regulations at the start of this year, and further still following the opening round of the 2025 campaign.
However, video footage observing the rear wing of Verstappen’s Red Bull RB21 and the McLaren MCL39 in Suzuka showed far greater flex on the latter, prompting curiosity about whether the Woking-based outfit is exploiting the rules beyond what is fair.
Verstappen’s father Jos even posted the footage online, but the reigning F1 champion had little to say on the matter.
“I don’t make rules,” he told select media, including Motorsport Week in Bahrain on Thursday.
“And I’m also not the one enforcing them. What I see, probably a lot of people see. That’s it.”
Probed on whether he’s asked questions about McLaren’s rear wing, Verstappen said, “No, I know what’s going on.
“For me, I just focus on the car, our car,” he added.
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