The whispers of the paddock
In recent weeks, thanks to the recoveries of Mercedes and especially McLaren, the topic of the flexible front wing has become increasingly topical again. In fact, some teams would be able to make it flex significantly at high speeds, thus managing to comply with the Federation’s tests, but obtaining clear advantages once on the track.
On the Monza weekend, the Red Bull team principal Christian Horner he had made himself heard, without too many mincing words: “The rules are very clear, so I think the FIA has a problem“while his counterpart at Ferrari, Frederic Vasseur he had explained his intention to talk to Nikolas Tombazis and the Federation.
The FIA continues to monitor
In a note Released today, the Federation stressed: “The FIA examines the front wings at each event, with numerous checks (surface conformity, deflection conformity) to verify compliance with the technical regulations. Currently all front wings are compliant with the 2024 regulations. Starting from the Belgian GP, the FIA has acquired additional data during FP1 and FP2 in order to evaluate the dynamic behavior of the appendages, through a video camera that films areas of the front wing not visible by the official FOM cameras. And these tests will continue at least until Singapore, to ensure that all teams use the FIA camera on different types of track (low, medium, high and very high downforce).
This will provide a large database that will allow the FIA to draw up a picture of the situation that is as objective as possible and to quantify the differences between the various dynamic models observed on the track.
No component is infinitely rigid and for this reason the regulations require load-deflection tests. The front wing in particular has been a challenge over the years, as the load patterns of different teams vary and it is therefore difficult to find a load vector that covers all types of front wing construction. Other areas of the car, such as the rear wing or the floor, have more consistent load patterns between teams on the grid and this makes testing more universal.”
The conclusion of the Federation’s statement does not exclude interventions for next season: “The FIA has the right to introduce new tests if irregularities are suspected. However, there are no short-term measures planned, but we are evaluating the situation from a medium and long-term perspective”.
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