BREAKING NEWS: Red Bull complain to FIA about ‘unfair McLaren, Mercedes…’ as title bid hangs in…read more

Red Bull complain to FIA about ‘unfair McLaren, Mercedes…’ as title bid hangs in…read more

Red Bull Racing is reportedly engaged in discussions with the FIA regarding potential regulation violations by McLaren and Mercedes, centering on the use of flexible front wings that may provide an unfair advantage. Ferrari has joined Red Bull in raising concerns, which could potentially lead to a mid-season rule adjustment that may significantly impact the championship standings.

Christian Horner’s Red Bull team enjoyed a dominant start to the 2024 Formula 1 season, with Max Verstappen building a substantial lead in the Drivers’ Championship. However, recent balance issues have caused a dip in Red Bull’s performance, allowing McLaren’s Lando Norris to close the gap at the top of the standings.

In the Constructors’ Championship, the battle is intensifying as well. After the recent Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Red Bull’s lead over McLaren has shrunk to a mere eight points. While Norris and his McLaren teammate finished strong, securing two of the three podium positions, Red Bull struggled, with Verstappen finishing in sixth place and Sergio Perez managing only eighth.

The tight competition has prompted Red Bull and Ferrari to challenge the legality of McLaren and Mercedes’ front wings. According to *The Times*, both teams have raised concerns with the FIA, arguing that their rivals’ front wings exhibit excessive flexibility, granting them an unfair competitive edge on the track. The complaint suggests that McLaren and Mercedes may be operating in a “grey area” of the regulations, and Red Bull and Ferrari are pushing for clarity on the matter.

Flexible wings have long been a contentious issue in Formula 1, as teams seek to maximize aerodynamic efficiency while staying within the rules. Under current regulations, a certain degree of flexibility is permitted, but the exact limits of this flexibility can be open to interpretation. The dispute raised by Red Bull and Ferrari hinges on whether McLaren and Mercedes have pushed these boundaries too far, potentially gaining a significant advantage as a result.

The outcome of this complaint could have major repercussions for the remainder of the season. If the FIA determines that McLaren and Mercedes have violated the regulations, they could be required to make changes to their cars, potentially altering their performance on track. Conversely, if the FIA rules that the wings are legal under the current guidelines, Red Bull and Ferrari are expected to press for a rewording of the regulations to eliminate any ambiguities.

This is not the first time that flexible wings have been a hot topic in F1. Back in 2021, a similar situation arose when Red Bull’s front wing design came under scrutiny. At the time, the FIA made mid-season adjustments to the rules after concerns were raised that teams were exploiting the elasticity of their wings. Although Red Bull’s wings passed the regulatory tests at that time, the incident led to a change in how the rules were enforced.

Speaking on the current issue, Christian Horner expressed his views, indicating that the situation mirrors the events of 2021. “Obviously, there’s a (flexibility) test you pass, and then you have to look at the wording of the regulations,” Horner explained. “If you remember back in 2021, certainly around Baku time, there was a change to the front wing regulation. Even though our wing passed the test, it was exploiting an elasticity. So that’s an FIA issue; we’ll leave it with them.”

Fred Vasseur, the team principal of Ferrari, also weighed in, albeit in a more reserved manner. Vasseur indicated that Ferrari would respect the FIA’s decision but preferred to handle the discussion internally rather than through the media. “This is the discussion that I don’t want to have with (the media),” Vasseur remarked. “I will have it with (Nikolas) Tombazis (director of the single-seater department of the FIA). But we have to respect the decision of the FIA.”

With only eight Grands Prix remaining in the season, the stakes are incredibly high. Red Bull’s once-comfortable lead in the Constructors’ Championship is now under serious threat from McLaren’s resurgence. At the same time, Lando Norris is mounting a strong challenge to Verstappen’s lead in the Drivers’ Championship, with the gap between the two drivers now reduced to 62 points.

For Norris, these final races present a crucial opportunity to secure his first F1 world title. McLaren’s strong form in recent races has raised hopes that they could overtake Red Bull in the Constructors’ standings as well. However, the outcome of the ongoing dispute over flexible wings could prove pivotal in determining how the rest of the season plays out.

As the FIA continues to evaluate the situation, teams across the grid will be watching closely. Any decision to enforce a mid-season rule change could drastically shift the competitive balance, making these next few weeks critical in the race for both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.

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Chris Harvey Jr.

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