FIA Provides Update On Front Wing Flex Test After 2024 Controversy

Saajan Jogia | Dec 29, 2024

May 3, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; McLaren driver Oscar Piastri (81) races out of turn 17 during F1 Sprint Qualifying at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

FIA head of single-seater matters Nikolas Tombazis has confirmed that the governing body will not be altering the front wing flex tests in Formula 1, despite the controversy surrounding flexing wings in 2024 with McLaren and Mercedes.

The 2024 Formula 1 season saw the grid become more competitive than ever in the ground effect era, with teams pushing the limits of the regulations in search of performance enhancements for their cars. This heightened rivalry led some teams to report concerns over potential loopholes, particularly regarding the flexing of front wings.

In response, the FIA took action by installing cameras on F1 cars starting from the Belgian Grand Prix to monitor the situation and check for flexi wings. Ferrari and Red Bull were among the teams that raised alarms about the flexibility of the front wings on Mercedes and McLaren’s F1 cars.

While Mercedes and McLaren were cleared of any wrongdoing, a report from Motorsport.com confirms that the FIA mounted cameras not to make immediate changes but with the goal of making decisions for the long run. Explaining that the FIA will not make changes to its front wing flex test, considering the challenges that such changes could bring, Tombazis explained:

"We are pretty happy with what we've seen.

"I hasten to say that it's not a question always of being happy or not.

"It's also a question of whether you feel that a meaningful test can be made.

"One of the challenges in the front wing is that, compared to other parts of the car, the front wing loading is much more varied between cars in a given location and so on.

"So most tests relate to the load of a certain direction, certain position of application, certain magnitude must not produce a [certain] deformation.

"The most successful such tests imitate as much as possible what happens in real life with loads and, on the earlier wing for example, it's reasonably successful. On the front wing, the variety between cars would make that quite difficult."

With 2025 marking the final year of the current regulations before Formula 1 enters a new era in 2026, the FIA had no plans to introduce additional tests. Tombazis added:

"Obviously, there was a lot of hoo-hah about it during the summer and early autumn.

"We had made it quite clear to teams since 2022 at least, that we were not planning to introduce any further tests on the front wing and we stuck to that."