Red Bull’s flexible rear wing is Formula One’s latest technical controversy, as the Austrian advisor rebuts accusations.
During the Spanish GP, Lewis Hamilton noticed on Sky F1 how Red Bull “have this bendy wing on the back of their car which they put on today and they gained at least three tenths from this wing.” . The FIA has since announced further tests and regulations from the French Grand Prix on the rear wing’s deflection.
The regulations currently in place only govern the uniform deflection of the entire structure in vertical and horizontal displacement, while the new regulations focus on the rotation of the wing around the cars centreplane, with just one degree of tolerance permitted as the loads are applied.
Red Bull’s response wasn’t late as Milton Keynes’ advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has told Motorsport-total the team isn’t worried as the new regulations won’t target only the Austrian constructor and won’t make a sensible difference for the championship:
“The wing has passed the load tests, and this is a fundamental aspect. Now, new criteria will be introduced that change the wing verification guidelines. It often happens, especially when teams find gray areas in the rules. I can say that it’s not just Red Bull that is being targeted. The measure will also affect other teams… We chose a lighter rear wing because we were too slow on the straights, while Lewis was able to see when he got behind us that we had recovered a good top speed. And, therefore, the two came together. Anyway, it will not be a decisive aspect for the World Cup. I remember that we had to review the front wings two or three times a season during the period in which we dominated the championship and the values had not changed… ”.
While the FIA will still grant teams a 20% tolerance to adapt to the new regulations, all eyes will be on the long straights at the Paul Ricard to understand whether the “Flexiwing” was a defying factor for Red Bull.
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