The debate around “Mini-DRS” rekindled after the Bahrain tests?

The 2025 season of F1 has not yet started and already we are heading towards a first technical controversy. The cause is the "mini-DRS" that appeared last year on the McLaren and that the Woking team had to modify following complaints from rivals to the FIA. Apparently, as the technical director of Red Bull, Pierre Waché, at the end of the Bahrain tests, some teams have not given up on the system. "It's still relevant, explained the French leader. I think that Ferrari and McLaren continue to use mini-DRS."

Pierre Waché refers to the trick of flexing the main plane of the rear wing to help open the slot, which reduces drag and increases straight-line speed. While the FIA ​​has put in place strict rules in the F1 technical regulations to try to eradicate the offending elements, the question today is whether McLaren and others have found a way to achieve similar gains with a revised system.

A different situation in Australia?

As teams have started to take a closer look at their rivals' 2025 concepts, some are turning their eyes. And the "mini-DRS" is not the only one in the crosshairs, as onboard images from rear-facing cameras appear to have highlighted "intriguing" behavior, such as the rear wing of the Mercedes which tends to become straight before returning to a vertical position when the car slows down on bends.

Other footage appears to show the McLaren MCL39's rear wing outboard slot opening at high speed before closing under braking. Ferrari has also been suspected of using a 'mini-DRS' in Bahrain. It's clear that it's not just the drivers who are keen to get into a fight, the technicians too. Let's just hope this doesn't end up on the green carpet in Melbourne on the evening... although in theory it shouldn't.

Indeed, the FIA ​​announced at the beginning of February that it would strengthen controls on the flexibility of the wings with tests planned during the season, during Grand Prix weekends, via an update of technical directive n°8 of its regulations concerning the flexibility of wing elements. F1. Thus, the rear wings will be tested from the first Grand Prix of the season, in Australia (March 16), while the flexibility of the front wings will be checked later, at the Spanish Grand Prix (June 1). It should also be remembered that during winter testing – which does not count as official sessions – teams are allowed to use parts that do not meet the legal requirements detailed in the technical regulations.

Jean-Michel Desnoues, with Dorian Grangier

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