The war between Red Bull and Ferrari has already begun. Or rather it is the Milton Keynes team that has launched an air-to-ground missile towards Maranello. Even McLaren is part of the game as a team being accused. The three days of the pre-season testing session at the 5.412-kilometre Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir have concluded a few days ago, and suspicions are already arising regarding the legality of some solutions designed by the top teams. As usual, it is the innovations proposed by those who could be fighting for something truly important that make the most noise. The top category of motorsport experienced quite a lively season in the last Formula 1 campaign.
McLaren’s “mini DRS,” the overly noticeable flexibility of the front wing appendages, the adjustment of the Red Bull “T-Tray,” and other tricks that poisoned the end of the last season, which was already quite tense on track. The Formula 1 pre-season testing session is not only an opportunity to verify the quality of work done at the factory, but also to take a look at what has been designed and produced by competitors. Images, videos, GPS, and telemetry analysis allow the identification of solutions that could provide a competitive advantage to rivals.
There is talk in the paddock that some teams have shown a borderline flexibility of the rear wing. It is worth noting that on the first day of testing, specifically on Wednesday, February 26, the FIA published the new 2025 Formula 1 regulations, including the sporting, technical and financial ones, as well as the new technical regulatory framework for the 2026 championship. In this new version of the 2025 technical regulations, the International Federation revealed the new criteria for rear wing deflection tests.
As announced in the previous F1 Commission statement, rear wing tests to be conducted by FIA stewards during the weekends will be effective starting from the Australian Grand Prix, the first event of the 2025 F1 World Championship. Meanwhile, those on the front wing will only be introduced from the Spanish Grand Prix, the ninth round of the Formula 1 season. Why? To give the teams a chance to “adjust” if their designs have produced borderline components.
To confirm the speculation, which could have seemed like the usual rumors from the pit lane, is none other than Red Bull’s technical director, not just anyone. We are talking about Pierre Waché, a Frenchman from Auchel, who inherited the position held for over fifteen years by Adrian Newey. Pierre Waché claims that McLaren and Ferrari are still using the “mini-DRS.” A solution declared illegal by the regulatory body after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix of the last season, won by Oscar Piastri driving the MCL38 ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari SF-24.
It should be noted that the technical legality of the cars during testing is not verified by the FIA, but the accusation made by one of the most important representatives of a top team certainly cannot be dismissed as a fanciful reconstruction. After all, in two weeks, the world championship starts, and from the Australian Grand Prix, teams will have to comply with the new technical regulation provisions regarding rear wing deflection. In static tests, a load of 30N will be applied instead of the 10N, as prescribed in the previous version of the regulatory framework.
Still regarding the rear wing, when the Drag Reduction System is not active, the wing profiles must necessarily have a minimum gap between 9.4 millimeters and 13 millimeters. Also of great interest is the clarification included in paragraph 3.10.10 regarding the Drag Reduction System. In order to avoid any ambiguity, it is reiterated that, in the absence of DRS malfunctions, the system can only assume two positions. Moreover, it is emphasized that the transition time between the two positions must be less than 400 milliseconds.
If Pierre Waché’s statement cannot be considered the suspicion of an individual, but clearly that of the entire Milton Keynes team, it is hard to believe that McLaren and Ferrari have pushed certain solutions to extremes that have been the subject of meticulous clarifications by the regulatory body. It would be a risk that is far too great and perhaps even foolish. To support the Austrian team’s intentions, Pierre Waché stated that what they observed during the three days of testing will be the subject of in-depth discussions in the coming weeks.
According to information gathered and reported by the Italian media, in fact, Red Bull has decided to file a complaint with the governing body in order to ensure that both teams in question are subject to verification by the International Federation as soon as possible. The team of technicians led by Pierre Waché is said to already have documentation with photographic and video evidence to support their claims. A ballistic missile to sink Ferrari and McLaren just weeks before the start of the 2025 Formula 1 championship, which, according to the Frenchman, will definitely hit its target. For now, we are only talking about hypotheses, to be clear, but the certainty with which the Red Bull technical director comments on the facts is alarming.
What was seen in the pre-season testing session, according to Red Bull, is something very visible and unacceptable. In particular, it seems that two phenomena are being contested. One concerns the rotation of the entire wing structure when the vehicle is in motion at a certain speed, and the second concerns the alleged flexing at the edges of the movable flap, which can be traced back to the “mini-DRS” banned by the FIA. The former world champion team is now much more attentive to the moves of its rivals compared to when it dominated between the second half of 2022 and the triumphant 2023 season. We wonder why.
— see video above —
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