How will the FIA test the flexibility of front wings at Spa?

Formula One's governing body, the FIA will check the flexibility of front wings, using video footage, starting at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps and performing further tests after the summer break.

While the technical regulation allows a certain degree of flexibility of various aerodynamic parts, including the front wing, the FIA felt in recent weeks that some teams took the 'flexi-wing' approach to extremes.

The new ground-effect cars have proved difficult to balance out and aerodynamic upgrades have unsettled the balance of several cars on multiple occasions over the course of the last two years.

Mercedes has also struggled to find the optimal balance for its 2024 F1 car, the W15 at the start of the year. The Anglo-German outfit's trackside engineer director Andrew Shovlin has recently revealed that Mercedes struggled to find a setup that made Lewis Hamilton and George Hamilton comfortable behind the wheel of the W15 in all types of corners.

The Brackley-headquartered team often found a setup that brought the car into its operating window in certain types of corners, but it was difficult to handle in other types of turn. Mercedes brought a new front wing to the Monaco Grand Prix that suddenly improved the balance of the W15 with Aston Martin having debuted a similar configuration at Silverstone.

The FIA is now eager to investigate whether the current rules are being taken beyond a reasonable boundary.

According to Motorsport.com, FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis set a technical directive that is referred to as TD034G to all teams.

“The FIA has decided, starting from Belgium onward for an indefinite period of time, to measure the overall front wing deformation on track. The FOM forward-facing cameras are unfortunately not capable of capturing the complete front wing as a large outboard part is not covered by the angle.

“The intent will therefore be to measure across several events all front wings with a camera provided by the FIA which will be installed on the nose (in place of current camera housings) offering a sideways view. The collected data will be used to enhance the overall understanding of bodywork flexibility when defining future regulations.

“It is also reiterated that all front wings checked so far this season have passed the existing deflection tests and are deemed legal. This new technical directive is the result of a long-standing desire to better capture front wing behaviour under aerodynamic load," the directive is quoted by Motorsport.com.

On the image of respected F1 journalist Albert Fabrega, it is clear to see that the FIA has equipped the front wings of several teams, including Ferrari, Aston Martin, Sauber and Mercedes, with markings that are similar to what the governing body has been using to check the flexibility of the rear wings.

With the help of these markings and special onboard cameras, the FIS is intent to inspect how the front wings flex at different speeds and under various loads.

Currently, the results will only be used to gather data, teams do now need to worry any immediate sanctions even if the tests show a greater degree of flexibility than what the static tests permit.