Williams boss James Vowles revealed that Formula 1’s teams convinced the FIA to postpone the flexi-wing clampdown from Imola to Catalunya due to difficulties posed by the Monaco Grand Prix.
The flexi-wing saga was paramount in 2024 as a key development battle between the top teams, with the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull questioning the legality of the likes of McLaren’s efforts.
Despite imposing further monitoring and investigations, the FIA found no team guilty of breaching regulations and at the end of the season implied no changes would be made to the regulations.
That prompted a grid-wide development push into flexi-wings, but to the teams’ frustration, a new technical directive was imposed by the FIA in late January, stating the wing flexibility would be reduced to 10mm of travel under load-bearing tests – a reduction of 5mm.
The directive will come into effect at the Spanish GP, Round 9 of the 2025 season but Vowles revealed the FIA wanted to launch the change for Round 7 at Imola.
The reason being is Monaco, placed between Imola and Spain in the F1 schedule and considered a graveyard for front wings.
“It was originally, I think, Round 7 they were going to change it, but we highlighted that it had Monaco in between, and it’s really difficult for teams to effectively have the right stock of front wings for Monaco, so it got deferred back to the race after Monaco,” the Williams Team Principal told select media including Motorsport Week during the FW47 launch at Silverstone.
“Our wing effectively was already along the pipeline of production when the rules had changed,” he added.
Vowels reveals impact of flexi-wing clampdown
With teams confident the flexi-wing rules wouldn’t change in the offseason, the new technical directive provides a development headache for outfits to account for down the line.
Vowels revealed that for Williams the issues aren’t as prevalent compared to the teams at the top of the pecking order who are further along pushing the envelope of flexi-wing development.
“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 said.
“I don’t think we’re market-leading in that particular area.
“However, what I can also say is 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.”
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