Red Bull Raises Concerns: New Flexi-Wing Allegations Target McLaren and Ferrari in F1 Controversy

New potential flexi-wing controversy? Red Bull suspects McLaren and Ferrari

Is a new flexi-wing controversy emerging in the F1 community?

Red Bull is said to be increasingly wary of the front wings employed by their Formula 1 competitors, McLaren and Ferrari.

Flexible front wings have returned to prominence, as noted by the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport. The publication indicates that Red Bull is now more explicitly accusing McLaren and Ferrari regarding their front wings.

McLaren and Ferrari have been intensifying their challenge against Red Bull in recent races. Now, the defending champions are carefully examining their front wings to assess the degree of flexibility.

According to Auto Motor und Sport (AMuS), Red Bull attempted to convince Aston Martin to challenge the legality of the front wings used by McLaren and Ferrari. However, Aston Martin, headquartered in Silverstone, chose not to proceed with the protest and is reportedly developing its own approach instead.

According to a statement from Red Bull reported by AMuS, the team indicated that if the situation continues to be accepted, they will have no choice but to follow the same path.

During the Singapore Grand Prix last year, the FIA, which oversees Formula 1, took action against the use of flexible wings. This decision came after worries that teams were exploiting "localized compliance and/or relative motion between adjacent components" to gain an aerodynamic edge.

Directive TD018 was implemented to clarify the boundaries of bodywork flexibility for teams and to prevent them from exceeding the permissible limits.

The FIA conducts rigorous static load assessments on teams. For example, front wings are subjected to a force of 60 newtons and are required to maintain deformation within a three-millimetre limit.

It is thought that Aston Martin received recommendations at the start of the 2023 season to modify their front wing design to avoid any possible violations of regulations.

At the beginning of the season, Mercedes caused a stir with the design of their W15's front wing, which included a clever feature that was approved by the FIA. However, this feature was discarded by the time the Monaco Grand Prix took place.

The newly designed front wing on the Mercedes has improved the car's balance, boosting the confidence of drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

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