The FIA is introducing new load tests at the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season to ensure teams are no longer testing the limits of flexible front and rear wings.
Front and rear wings were set to be a key battleground during the season, now that teams are switching focus to their 2026 cars.
The 2025 cars are set to be an evolution of their cars from 2024, with various modifications made from their learnings last year. One of the key areas teams were set to exploit was the flexibility of bodywork, something McLaren managed to perfect last year.
McLaren had to remove its Mini-DRS rear wing at the Singapore Grand Prix, following their victory at the previous race in Baku, due to it contravening what the teams agreed was permitted in the rules.
Mercedes’ flexible front wing design also came under scrutiny, after they found performance with a new version introduced at the Canadian GP.
Now the FIA is introducing tougher measures to prevent teams from having an arms race and potentially creating an unsafe situation, however, speaking in The Race former F1 technical chief Gary Anderson has one complaint over how it is all being handled.
Gary Anderson thinks FIA is too late with flexi-front wing rules
Flexible front wings have become a contentious topic in F1 after Red Bull filed a complaint against McLaren, although no party was ever found guilty of foul play.
The FIA will introduce tougher measures for rear wings as early as the Australian GP, while the teams will have until the Spanish Grand Prix in June to adapt their current front wing designs.
Red Bull is set to be furious with the clampdown, while Anderson thinks there is another issue that the governing body has not taken into consideration.
“My other complaint is that the FIA hands down penalties to drivers when they make a poor decision and also fine teams for an unsafe release from their pit box. In both these instances, they have milliseconds to make that decision not three months – which is what the FIA have had to introduce new deflection tests,” said Anderson.
“By now, the start of February, most teams will have put to bed their 2025 car characteristics and be focusing their top end design engineers on the 2026 car – which is being designed for major aerodynamic rule changes – leaving their not so experienced design engineers to dot the I’s and cross the T’s on the 2025 car’s development path. Now that all needs to change.”
What do the rules say about flexible front wings?
Under Article 3.15.4 of the Formula 1 technical regulations, wings cannot flex more than 15mm under the load-bearing tests.
A technical directive has now been issued by the FIA which states that wings are now only allowed to flex by 10mm.
This could have a massive impact on how the teams create the flexible phenomenon with their designs and might have an effect on the performance of some teams.
Some teams were also keen on seeking clarification from the FIA before spending money on pursuing the matter, as any costs would not only come out of the cost cap but also their aerodynamic testing restriction allowance.
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