McLaren deflates rear wing controversy: "It's not a gray area, it's legal"

Every week brings its controversy. After the front wing and its flexibility which stirred up morals during the summer, here is McLaren back in the spotlight. This time it was the back that caught everyone's attention. The looks on the streets of Baku last weekend.

In some on-board cameras, it was indeed seen that the upper flap of the rear wing was moving slightly. But in F1, the term slightly can quickly have a big impact on performance. Thus, and especially in a straight line, the lower part of the latter rises creating a sort of "mini-DRS" effect, reducing drag to increase the top speed, or at least contribute to it being higher. Inevitably, this got the competition talking and the information was quickly passed on to the FIA ​​officers.

The latter quickly took charge of the file and published an initial notice to the teams indicating that it " closely monitors the bodywork flexibility of all cars and reserves the right to ask teams to make changes at any time during the season. However, if a team passes all deflection tests and complies with the regulations and technical guidelines, they are considered to be in full compliance and no further action will be taken. »

But I tell you there is nothing abnormal! © Florent Gooden / DPPI

Piastri not worried, Norris proud of McLaren

Inevitably, the theme was at the heart of the debates during the media day this Thursday in Singapore. Lucky break, Oscar piastri, winner in Baku a week ago, appeared at a press conference. The perfect opportunity to get the point of view of a McLaren representative. But unsurprisingly, the Aussie quickly smothered the fire.

« Is it too much fuss for a few millimeters? I mean it is legal after all, he replied very calmly, certain of the conformity of his MCL38 and its ailerons. As long as [the rear wing] passes all the tests… We pass a lot of them and we pass them. It’s certainly not the magic bullet to explain our competitiveness. But it’s legal. It passes all the tests. So I’m pretty satisfied.

To be honest, the first time I knew what it was was last week, at the same time as everyone else. And it’s not a grey area. It’s tested every week. It’s legal. There are a lot of different tests for rear wings now. Honestly, I didn’t even know it was moving like that until three days ago. In this sport, you try to find as much performance as possible without breaking the rules. That’s what we do and that’s what you have to do to have a car to fight for the championship and become a contending team. »

Same story on the side of Lando Norris which is further supported by the fact that the FIA ​​has consistently ruled McLaren's wings legal, despite all the complaints they have been subject to. We have successfully passed all the exams, he proclaims. The FIA ​​is happy, I am proud. I am very happy with what the team is doing, they are pushing the boundaries and that is exactly what you have to do if you want to be at the top and fight against rivals who are doing the same thing and exploring all possible avenues.. » Despite all the conviction of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, the rear wing will still be closely monitored despite the notice published by the FIA. And in the event of another dominant performance by the Papayes, there is no doubt that some teams will not hesitate to raise their voices.

ALSO READ > FIA closely monitoring rear wings after Baku, reserves right to make regulation changes