Red Bull ‘cheat’ verdict of McLaren/Mercedes under consideration…

By Joe Murphy

Red Bull have been joined by Ferrari as the two teams who want clarification from the FIA over the flexibility of the front wing used by McLaren and Mercedes in the mist recent Grand Prix. As noted, it has passed all legality tests so far and the governing body is not planning any “short-term” action.

Since the start of 2023, McLaren has improved from struggling to score points to being a regular victory contender, getting Pole Positions and also winning races regularly. Something the team hadn’t managed in nearly two decades.

What started as an Azerbaijan Grand Prix upgrade in late April last year, the change has laid the foundations for the major step forward in Austria in early July. Red Bull haven’t had the answers for this change in pace.

McLaren’s prolific development has seen them become the fastest team since then and this year. No longer is the team fast only at certain tracks and in certain weather conditions, it has now outscored leaders Red Bull in nine of the last 10 races to cut its lead to just eight points by the time Monza culminated.

With that has come increased scrutiny from rivals, particularly as video footage of the McLaren front wing shows how much it flexes under load on the straights before returning to its primary position under braking. This previously was not the case and brought up safety challenges from the likes of Red Bull. The behaviour of the Mercedes front wing has also been noted as being similar in design.

Making the most of the flexibility that must be allowed in aerodynamic parts is vital to making the cars work. They can’t be fully rigid.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner did not directly state he was seeking clarity, although it is understood Red Bull is now aligned with Ferrari on this matter. After Red Bull was beaten by McLaren at Zandvoort, though, he did admit: “The way that the front wings are being used are quite different. If you look at the front wing angle of McLaren and Mercedes, they’re very, very different to the rest of the grid.”

At Monza, Horner also referred to an in-season adjustment to the load tests in early 2021 when flexing bodywork was a topic then, whilst also stating that the “regulations are very clear”, hinting at a discrepancy.