Red Bull's reaction to FIA statement on flexiwings McLaren/Mercedes
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Red Bull Racing has questioned Mercedes and McLaren's flexible front wings in recent weeks. The front wings would possibly deflect more air than is allowed, and so Max Verstappen's team appealed to the FIA. However, they got no result on the appeal: the wing deflection is within the permitted margin. In Baku, Christian Horner addressed the ruling of the governing body.
The issue has been around for some time, and the FIA are actively monitoring teams to see if they are staying within the regulations. In the first free practice of the Belgian Grand Prix, extra cameras were put on the cars to check that no race teams were in breach of the regulations.
That proved not to be the case, but after the Italian Grand Prix a fortnight ago, Horner and Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur made another appeal to the FIA. The motorsport federation then came out with a statement. In it, it stressed that the parts were not illegal under the 2024 regulations. However, the FIA did add that they are evaluating the situation 'with a medium and long-term perspective'. Rule changes will follow, 'at the earliest', in 2025, if necessary.
Horner on FIA statement
How does Horner view the developments regarding flexi-wings? "I think what's crucial for any team, as with all these things, is always for clarity. Is something acceptable or is it not? If it's deemed to be acceptable, then obviously that encourages you to pursue similar solutions yourself."
"The regulator [the FIA], obviously, they have all the information. They have all the analysis that they've recently put cameras on many cars. So I guess they're collecting that data. But yeah, it's one of those things that, as I say, that if it's deemed to be acceptable, then you pursue that route," said the Briton, hinting that Red Bull itself could start coming up with a similar concept.
This article was written in collaboration with Corwin Kunst