F1 Spanish GP: last-minute front wing inspection for Ferrari raises eyebrows. Ferrari undergoes last-minute front wing flexibility checks in Spain.

What is happening
From the formulapassion.it correspondent at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Carlo Platella – Testing of the front wing continues at Ferrari. Just minutes before the start of qualifying, some of the Scuderia’s mechanics were seen heading toward the FIA garage with two of the new front wings brought to Barcelona. It may have been a simple precaution by the team, possibly following some minor modifications made in recent days, or a homologation of components that arrived at the last minute, but the episode is still quite unusual.

Last-minute checks
Forty minutes before the start of parc fermé regulations with the beginning of qualifying, several Ferrari staff entered the FIA garage with two front wings, while the cars of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton remained in the Ferrari garage. The mechanics entered the room where the jigs for front wing flexibility tests are located, soon joined by trackside engineering director Matteo Togninalli and several FIA stewards.

The shutter was closed shortly after the two wings entered, preventing any view of what occurred inside. The Ferrari staff exited the checks after about ten minutes with the first wing, while the second one left the FIA garage shortly afterward. Notably, the test involved only two of the front wings brought by the team to Barcelona. Ferrari was the only team to undergo flexibility checks in the hour leading up to qualifying, an episode that could merely involve late homologation of spare components or could signal a potential concern.