The controversy over flexible wings in F1
The controversy over flexible wings in Formula 1 may have reached the next level. To capture the beautiful battle for victory between Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc in the second half of the Azerbaijan GP in Baku, the F1TV cameras focused extensively on the rear of the Australian driver’s McLaren, highlighting that it’s not just the front wing of the MCL38 that deforms at high speeds. The videos of this phenomenon quickly went viral on social media, with some users even tagging Ferrari’s official account to push the Maranello team to file a complaint against their rivals.
I'll leave this here @ScuderiaFerrari @FIA
The entire DRS flap is rotating under load. You can see at the pivot points, the flap is not aligning with the wing tips.
The flap is backing off at high speed, shedding drag. How is this okay? pic.twitter.com/OL5IijqnJV
— B (@brakeboosted) September 15, 2024
The video of the McLaren in Baku
But what happened? In the onboard videos of Piastri’s McLaren, it can be seen that the flap – the upper profile of the rear wing, which usually opens when the DRS system is activated – deforms quite noticeably on the long straight of the Baku circuit. As speed increases, the distance between the flap and the main plane (the lower part) seems to grow, and this is quite clearly visible by observing the increasing empty space between the two profiles. This movement is also present on Leclerc’s Ferrari, though in a much less noticeable manner (as seen in the video below).
The advantage of the flexible rear wing
The advantage of such movement is very difficult to quantify in terms of lap time, but it is obvious that a flap that deforms on the straight allows for reduced drag, resulting in higher top speeds. At the same time, it should be noted that both front and rear wings are always subject to technical checks by FIA stewards, who so far have not found any irregularities on either McLaren or other cars on the starting grid. However, starting from Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, a study has begun with dedicated cameras monitoring the movements of the front and rear aerodynamic profiles at high speeds, which could push the Federation to tighten controls in 2025.
McLaren is not illegal
While it is true that all teams have always passed the static tests by the Federation – tests carried out by applying forces with the engines off – it is undeniable that the Woking team (and partly Mercedes as well) has become a leader in innovation and development in the field of materials that are highly resistant but also able to deform at high speeds. It’s no coincidence that, in recent days, Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner explained in a press conference that the flexible wing issue is “one of those areas where, if the FIA does not intervene by changing the rules (and thus tightening inspections, ed.), all other teams will start working in that direction.”
