Flexiwings 2025

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Seems the story won't die or maybe it won't even slow down

As AutoRacer has learned , the Federation has already sent a draft of an update to the technical checks regarding the flex of the front wing . A technical directive that would further revise how much the front wing flap will have to flex during static tests, the only truly real tool that the Federation believes it can use to control flex. It is curious that even McLaren, the most talked about team on the subject, agrees and is one of the supporters of this new possible technical directive, since the Woking team has paid a lot of attention to the Ferrari and Mercedes wings in the second part of last season.

The TD is currently scheduled to come into effect between Monaco and Spanish GPs

From what we have learned, if everything goes in the agreed direction, the technical directive could be officially valid from May

the FIA is still managing also to evaluate whether to extend the update to the checks also to the rear wings.

https://autoracer.it/it/esclusiva-pront ... -delle-ali

[-wkst-]

Obviously some teams were still lobbying hard for more restrictive rules in that area.

In my opinion such mid season changes are always bad. The FIA got enough time since Spa to tighten the static tests. The spanish GP is race 9 of 24...

[KimiRai]

Here we go again...

[peewon]

I think there should be a freeze on regulations once the season starts so that FIA cant pick and choose when to enforce directives. You can make exceptions if there is clear and obvious safety concern

[WardenOfTheNorth]

I think there should be a freeze on regulations once the season starts so that FIA cant pick and choose when to enforce directives. You can make exceptions if there is clear and obvious safety concern

I agree.

I suppose the only good thing here is that they've announced it before testing, so noone can say they were targeting a particular car. I mean, some probably will, but they shouldn't lol

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FIA statement on flexible wing directive

"Following further analysis carried out by the FIA Single Seater Department at the end of the 2024 season, we are committed to ensuring that body flexibility will no longer be a bone of contention for the 2025 season . As part of this commitment, we will increase the scope of rear wing testing from the start of the 2025 season, and additional front wing testing will be introduced from the Spanish GP . This phased approach allows teams to adapt without having to discard existing components unnecessarily. These adjustments are designed to further refine our ability to monitor and enforce body flexibility regulations, ensuring a level playing field for all competitors, with the aim of promoting fair and exciting competition .”

If they'd made the decision to do this a few months earlier then everyone could've incorporated this into their early 2025 development.. why did they wait til the off-season to make this decision? They're trying to throw unexpected changes into the mix

https://autoracer.it/it/fia-direttiva-t ... bilita-ali

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From The Race

This change is the compromise between the various pressures applied by the teams according to their situation. Initially a more draconian limitation applied from the start of the season was planned. The Spain introduction will give the likes of McLaren and Mercedes – and anyone else who has subsequently gone this route with their 2025 cars - time to adapt their cars around the new technical directive.

[Venturiation]

From The Race

This change is the compromise between the various pressures applied by the teams according to their situation. Initially a more draconian limitation applied from the start of the season was planned. The Spain introduction will give the likes of McLaren and Mercedes – and anyone else who has subsequently gone this route with their 2025 cars - time to adapt their cars around the new technical directive.

That means teams with the best advantage thanks to flexi wings can win the WDC and WCC by wining all the first races like redbull did last year

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From The Race

This change is the compromise between the various pressures applied by the teams according to their situation. Initially a more draconian limitation applied from the start of the season was planned. The Spain introduction will give the likes of McLaren and Mercedes – and anyone else who has subsequently gone this route with their 2025 cars - time to adapt their cars around the new technical directive.

That means teams with the best advantage thanks to flexi wings can win the WDC and WCC by wining all the first races like redbull did last year

Indeed, but I think it's more likely that everyone will be relatively close with flexiwings and more disparity will arise once they are taken away, with everyone using different solutions to the balance problem that flexiwings so easily solve

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In Milton Keynes they invested a lot of time and money in improving the flexibility of the wing profiles of the RB21 (it will debut on the track on 25 February in a filming day in Bahrain, after the unveiling of the livery in London ) during the winter, only to discover in late January that the decision so requested last season has been changed. As anticipated, the Federation has in fact decided to tighten the tests on the front wings, further reviewing how much the front wing flap will have to flex during the static tests, both on the internal part (from 3 mm to 2 mm) and external part (from 15 mm to 10 mm). There is a strong belief among the opponents that it was above all McLaren that put a certain pressure on the Federation for the tougher tests, after a season finale where Ferrari showed excellent competitiveness and fearing the return of Red Bull, having resolved the problems of correlation and those of 'flexibility'.

https://autoracer.it/it/nuova-td18-red- ... la-mclaren

[haza]

Interesting McLaren backs the directive despite being the most talked about with the flex wings

[dia6olo]

Interesting McLaren backs the directive despite being the most talked about with the flex wings

I don't think McLaren supposedly backing the directive proves anything either one way or the other.
It would not be the first time a team or two has said this or that does not or won't affect them only for it to very much affect them. McLaren supposedly backing the directive could be no more than them knowing they were never going to win the debate, by backing it they send the message or try to that they gained nothing from their flexi parts which they clearly did, at least in my eyes and many others.

The bottom line is that it was very clear last season that McLaren had a significant amount of flexing and it was also clear at least to me that it aided them significantly.

[GrizzleBoy]

At this point I'm just going to call it all corruption.

If it's legal, and then only becomes not legal because some people.co.plain, ill just call it corruption.

It was either corruption when you declared it legal in the first place, or it was corruption when you declared it illegal.

The FIA are killing the "sport" part of this sport with their constant interfering and manipulation of rules which inevitably push some teams up and pushes some teams down.

[ME4ME]

I hate this so much. The FIA and their technical department is a joke. I don't care how clever some of those people are supposed to be. They are manipulating the championship knowingly or unknowingly.

[dialtone]

What MCL has been allowed to get away with with flexible wings is absolutely unprecedented…

But this is the same politics that happens any year, just so happens RBR is on the wrong side of it this time, or was it not corruption when they were allowed to outspend the budget cap and got away with it for free?