Rear Wings: FIA Launches Stricter Controls, Top Teams Worried?

This is a big topic, on a technical level, which is driving discussions between the teams and with the FIA. Wings have been at the center of discussions since the end of the summer of 2024, when supposedly overly flexible front wings were introduced by some teams, including McLarenThe British then made the news with their rear wing, which was also criticized by other teams for its excessive deflection.


This was finally withdrawn by the world champions at the request of the FIA, temporarily putting an end to the controversy surrounding this "mini-DRS", which opened slightly at high speeds to reduce the car's straight-line drag and increase top speed. This ploy, which allowed Oscar piastri to shine in Azerbaijan in particular, was banned by the FIA ​​during the winter thanks to a tightening of the technical regulations and a reduction in the authorized flexibility. But from the Bahrain tests, the rumors around a return of this system multiplied and Pierre Waché, the French technical director of Red Bull, had accused McLaren and Ferrari to use it again.

So to put an end to the debate, the FIA ​​implemented checks during Free Practice for the Australian Grand Prix, with cameras focused on the rear wings of all the cars: the only way to measure the possible deformation of a seemingly rigid part when propelled at full speed. The governing body drew a blank, as expected: all the cars were deemed compliant with the technical regulations. But this result does not seem to fully satisfy the FIA, which will tighten its controls again starting with the Chinese Grand Prix (March 21-23), as it announced this Monday.

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FIA tightens the screw on rear wing flexibility

“After analyzing images of rear wing deformations combined with static deflections measured inside the FIA ​​garage in Melbourne, the FIA ​​has concluded that there are sufficient grounds for a more stringent test to be introduced from the next Chinese Grand Prix on the upper rear wing. Specifically, Article 3.15.17, introduced in 2025, stipulates that if 75 kg of vertical load is applied to either end of the rear wing main plane, the distance between the main plane and the flap (also known as the “slot gap”) must not vary by more than 2 mm. From the next Shanghai Grand Prix, this limit will be reduced to 0,5 mm. Given the short lead time for Shanghai, only a 0,25 mm tolerance will be added to this new limit. Teams were informed of this revised test early on Monday, March 17.” 

The teams, alerted to this change on Monday, have only a few days left to find a solution if their fins are too flexible, but the timing is indeed very tight. For the sake of the show and the championship, but also to avoid adding fuel to the fire, it is to be hoped that no car not be disqualified for technical non-compliance on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the teams are working in parallel on a new, stiffer front wing specification, but the regulation change won't come into effect until early June, for the Barcelona Grand Prix, the ninth round of the season. Until then, anything goes. For now...

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