In an effort to better understand the flexing of front wings, the FIA plans to monitor some ‘selected’ teams during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
FIA to Implement New Technical Directive
While all current F1 teams comply with regulations regarding front wing flexibility, the FIA wants to scrutinize some teams more closely.
Several teams will have extra cameras fitted to their cars during Friday’s practice sessions in Belgium to capture video footage of their front wings under dynamic loading. Not all teams will be equipped with these cameras, reportedly due to a limited supply available for this data-gathering exercise.
A technical directive, TD034G, was issued this week by FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis, informing teams that “selected teams will be required to fit their cars with additional wireless recording cameras” for the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, which will be the next round after the Hungarian GP.
These will be high-resolution 4K cameras, with the FIA providing MicroSD cards to be used during the two sessions. The cards must be returned to the governing body within an hour after the second free practice session for the Belgian GP concludes.
FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis specified the camera positioning, focusing on “the inboard facing nominally vertical surfaces to track the translation and rotation of target dots.”
The FIA aims to eliminate any suspicions that teams might be exploiting bodywork flexibility for aerodynamic advantage. The directive states that design philosophies altering structural characteristics through secondary parameters to achieve different deflection characteristics than during static tests are not allowed. Secondary parameters include aerodynamic loads.
The painted dots, in contrast to the car’s bodywork, will help monitor the front wing’s rotation at various speeds. Teams may also be asked to provide additional dimensional information, such as front wing flap settings, for further analysis.
Further dots will be used on flap edges to check the flexibility of the endplate and nose sections. Given that Friday practice is not under parc ferme regulations, the FIA anticipates the possibility of teams reverting to previous specs and has taken measures to prevent this. Teams must ensure the cameras are fitted for more than 50 percent of their timed laps per session unless there are demonstrable force majeure circumstances, such as damage or a technical issue.
Technical directives, which are not part of the formal regulation rulebooks and typically remain confidential, are issued by the FIA to clarify and tighten up ambiguous areas in the rules. These directives can influence future regulations by solidifying certain rules.
In this case, the directive aims to help the FIA gain a better understanding of front wing flexing. If the collected data indicates a need for changes in static load testing procedures, this process can be initiated. After the data-gathering exercise in the Friday practice sessions, the selected teams will be allowed to remove the additional cameras and revert to their usual camera setups.
Traditionally, front wing flexibility has been monitored through static tests. However, concerns about wing flexing arose earlier this season, prompting several teams to seek clarification from the FIA about competitors’ practices.
The FIA has not yet confirmed which teams will be required to run the additional cameras.
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