Source: REUTERS/Caroline Chia
[Saba Sports News] According to German media AMS, the FIA officially notified McLaren on Thursday to modify their rear wing due to issues primarily concerning the upper flap near both ends by 10 centimeters. From onboard footage, it is clear that McLaren’s rear wing bends upward on straightaways after reaching a specific speed without DRS activation, creating a larger gap between the main wing and the upper flap. This violates the requirement that the gap between the main wing and flap must remain constant when DRS is not activated and objectively reduces drag on the rear wing, benefiting top speed. Red Bull estimates that McLaren’s design could gain approximately 0.1-0.2 seconds advantage. It is reported that the FIA initially deemed McLaren’s rear wing design legal because it passed all static deformation tests required by the FIA. Red Bull was very dissatisfied with this and filed three complaints with the FIA through team advisor Helmut Marko. Ultimately, the FIA compromised, acknowledging that there were loopholes in the testing and ruled McLaren’s rear wing design as illegal. Although the violation is evident, the FIA currently has no plans to penalize McLaren.