F1 is a sport where all teams try to push the regulations to the limit and look for gray areas in the regulations with intelligence to create solutions that increase the performance of their cars. There, what some call a brilliant solution was born. But there are always rivals who consider it illegal. It’s something that always happens in F1, something cyclical, and the best car is always in the spotlight. And now, the most competitive car is McLarenwhich is in center of controversy and suspicion because of the images seen on its rear wing in Baku.
In F1, teams have their own ‘spies’ in the paddock to monitor other teams and there are multiple cameras available from different points of each car in the race. But, even if it seems like a lie, Social networks, with many users who dedicate themselves to this sport and dedicate their lives to reviewing thousands and thousands of photos in search of a video that will make them go viral, are often brings up issues that groups overlook.
When everyone was paying attention to the distortion of the front wings, especially McLaren because it was the dominant car, A social media user posted a video of the rear wing of the McLaren in Baku. There, you will see something not heard. In a straight line, the rear wing is slightly bent due to the force of the wind, as happens in other cars. But in doing so, It left some free space, some space where the air can pass and have a small DRS effect without opening the DRS, that is, letting a little air pass through there to get top speed.
That, according to specialists, can benefit the orange car when it comes to finding the right balance of the car, allowing more downforce to be added to be better in the curves.
Legal or illegal? That is the question. Obviously the regulations are not made for a car to have a small DRS effect without the DRS opening. But the problem is that in the endless technical regulations of the championship, it is specified that a team will be considered to have violated the flexibility regulations for a wing if it does not pass a bending test carried out at each Grand Prix.
In these tests which are carried out while stationary, the technical delegates of the FIA apply a certain force to the spoiler and ensure that it does not bend more than the millimeters allowed by the regulations. If they pass the test, it’s legal. And in this case, The McLaren’s rear wing always passes that test when stopping. But in motion, the effect of air at high speed, this permissible distortion causes a new effect: the space for the air to pass through, something that can be understood. as contrary to the spirit of the standard.
The opinion of the pilots: Czech, against
Because of this, the pilots did not take long to speak. On the one hand, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri defended his team and its solution:
“The first time I saw it was like others, I found out through social networks. It’s not a gray area of regulations. It is reviewed every week. It is legal and a lot of testing is done on those rear wings. And it’s not the magic bullet that makes us competitive. I didn’t even know he did that until three days ago. In this sport you try to find as much performance as possible without breaking the rules and this is what has to be done, this is what we do to have a car capable of winning championships,” said Piastri, considering consider it as something “normal and natural” that the sets focus on finding three legs in the dominant car cat in each season.
“It’s natural. It’s normal. Any competitive car has been put under the microscope,” he added.
And McLaren’s rivals did not take long to speak out against it, in particular, Red Bull and Ferrari, the teams competing for wins against McLaren. The most compelling is ‘Checo’ Pérez: “It is clear that it is outside the regulations. It is an illegal car. But it seems that it is allowed. I am very surprised.”
“From what I’ve heard, it’s controversial to say the least,” commented Ferrari fan Leclerc.
“Of course I saw the images. That’s the beauty of social networks, the videos are all ready and then the debate opens. It’s clearly moving,” commented Verstappen. “It could be clever, it could be brilliant, or not. But ultimately it’s up to the FIA to say whether it’s legal or not. It was not used for the first time in Baku, it was also used on other tracks. It is important to have a clarification (from the FIA). But not only the rear spoiler, but also the front… how much is the fold? I don’t know. “We’ll have to wait and see what they decide.”he added. And now, before those words, the FIA has spoken.
The full statement from the FIA
Because of this debate and such chaos, the FIA released a statement before the Singapore GP in which it did not rule out taking measures, although McLaren was not mentioned in any case.
“The FIA closely monitors the body flexibility of all cars and reserves the right to ask teams to make changes at any time during the season. However, if a team successfully passes the all deflection tests and complying with technical regulations and directives, are considered fully compliant, and no further action will be taken.”
“The FIA is currently reviewing the data and any additional evidence that has emerged from the Baku GP and is considering any mitigation measures for future application.”
“This is part of the standard process when assessing technical legality, and the FIA retains the authority to introduce regulatory changes during the season if necessary.”
In this sense, as ‘Motorsport.com’ remembers, in a technical directive still in force from the FIA (DT34), which offers guidelines on the deflection of ailerons, certain behavior will not be allowed even if the ailerons pass the corresponding tests. In said directive it is ensured that they are not considered legal “designs whose structural properties are modified by secondary parameters, so that they produce a different flexural characteristic than that produced when the car is stationary during FIA verifications.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
