David Croft spots the FIA investigating another top F1 team’s rear wing after McLaren verdict

Follow us on Google Discover

McLaren will make adjustments to one of their rear wings after complaints from Red Bull and their F1 rivals. The Woking outfit say they have ‘proactively offered’ to modify the design following a dialogue with the FIA.

Footage from the rear-facing camera on Oscar Piastri’s car at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix appeared to show movement in the bodywork. This was creating a ‘mini DRS’ effect to improve the car’s straight-line speed.

Piastri won the race ahead of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. Leclerc was able to remain within the DRS window but couldn’t get close enough to attempt an overtake at the end of the 2km final straight.

As McLaren point out, their wing passed all of the relevant tests. They maintain that it complies with the regulations.

But according to Helmut Marko, Red Bull protested three times, albeit unofficially. This comes amidst the close battle between the two teams for the 2024 constructors’ title.

McLaren expect the FIA to have ‘similar conversations’ with their competitors over ‘the compliance of their rear wings’. And that process may already be underway.

David Croft notices Mercedes rear wing inspection at Singapore Grand Prix

As FP2 got underway at the Singapore Grand Prix, Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft spotted ‘dots’ at the back of George Russell’s car. This could indicate that the FIA are checking the ‘legality’ of the Mercedes rear wing.

Flexible bodywork is outlawed under the F1 regulations. Like McLaren, Mercedes have passed all FIA inspections up to this point.

Their front wing has also come under scrutiny from their fellow front-runners. The sport’s governing body carried out tests on various cars at the Belgian GP prior to the summer break.

Croft said: “There’s some dots on the rear wing there on George Russell’s Mercedes. This is what the FIA use to ensure that they’re happy with the legality of rear wings.”

How much lap time will McLaren lose from rear wing changes?

McLaren weren’t planning to use their low-downforce rear wing until Las Vegas, the first leg of the season-ending triple-header. They may also have considered deploying it in Mexico and Brazil, circuits where top speed is key (though they also feature long, sweeping corners).

Red Bull believe McLaren were gaining two-tenths from their trick. Over a full race distance, this could have a significant impact on the result.

Naturally, Andrea Stella and co. will downplay the impact of the modifications. But the data showed that they were far less reliant on DRS than their rivals in Baku.

Zak Brown praised McLaren’s ingenuity prior to Friday’s decision. While every team tries to find holes in the regulations, they may have strayed slightly too far in this instance.