Rules and Directives
Even in a season dominated so far by a single team, the world of Formula 1 finds itself discussing an intervention by the federation that has come during the championship. Last year, the major topic of discussion was “porpoising,” and it was addressed, not without sparking controversy, by the infamous TD39. This time, the technical issue under discussion is the excessive flexibility of wings.
Teams have ingeniously found ways to make their wings move under dynamic conditions to generate aerodynamic downforce while making them appear static during FIA checks. The federation’s latest directive aims to act in this regard, imposing that “all components that influence the aerodynamic performance of a car must be ‘rigidly fixed and immobile concerning their reference framework.'” Furthermore, these components must produce “a uniform, solid, hard, continuous, and impenetrable surface in all circumstances.”
Stella and Vasseur Support the FIA
Interventions during the season are often not well-received by industry professionals and fans. However, in this case, the reception of TD18 seems to be less “traumatic” than what happened 12 months ago regarding the regulation of car floors. For instance, during the team principals’ press conference at Monza, McLaren’s Team Principal, Andrea Stella, sided with the Federation.
“Flexible wings? The FIA has a lot of data, even more than we do. If they thought a technical directive was necessary, it means there was something to address. It’s positive news,” was his comment. Ferrari’s Team Principal, Frederic Vasseur, also expressed a similar sentiment: “If a technical directive arrives to clarify the issue of wing flexibility, it means that the existing regulations are not clear enough,” agreed the Frenchman. This approval could potentially lead to increased scrutiny for all teams in the second half of the season.
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