One of the main talking points heading into the Spanish Grand Prix was the changes to the regulations regarding the front wing flex.
The FIA introduced tougher tests on the flexibility of the front wings after concerns from other teams that rivals were purposely making them flex under load.
McLaren were told by the FIA after last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix to remove their rear wing, after it was found to be flexing too much on the straights.
The tougher tests for the Spanish GP have been known to the teams since the start of the season, with Red Bull banking on it making McLaren slower.
However, discussing the rule change on the Red Flags podcast, former F1 team principal Guenther Steiner believes it has had the opposite effect.
Guenther Steiner thinks McLaren has been made faster by F1 regulation change
Both Lando Norris and Max Verstappen were thought to be impacted the most by the regulation change, but it appears as though Red Bull’s lobbying earlier in the season has made their main rivals faster, according to Steiner.
“This flexi wing, it’s the same for everyone. I think Lewis came out with the comment that all this money was wasted on doing this and stuff like this. There was no money wasted,” said Steiner.
“Everybody went in to develop this one, because you have to make sure that your wing is not flexing. I read somewhere that McLaren, they just put an additional bracket on the wing so it doesn’t bend this much anymore.
“So it was a very cheap fix to get rid of this flexi wing, and part of it was the complaining of the other teams. They complained, but what did they gain? Nothing. They gave the McLaren more advantage.”
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McLaren knew ‘exactly’ what they needed to do with their car
Steiner adds that McLaren knew what they needed to do with their car to make it comply with the new rules to ensure it has minimal impact on their performance.
“McLaren knows exactly what they need to do with the car,” said Steiner.
“If they lose the flexi wing or the effect the flexi wing gives them, they go to the wind tunnel and try to replicate what they had to get the same balance on the car again, you know. And maybe you cannot get 100% there, but you get 99.8% there.”
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris led Charles Leclerc by 10 seconds at the finish line at the end of the Spanish GP, suggesting that McLaren’s advantage is not greatly affected by the stringent rules.
McLaren was one of the few teams not to bring a new front wing to the race in response to the new tests, and all signs point to teams having to outsmart them on track to beat them.
