A key Formula 1 development battleground is set to intensify in 2025 with the FIA set to clampdown on flexi-wings.
Flexi-front wings became a somewhat contentious topic between the top teams last year with the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull complaining that McLaren and Mercedes’ front wings were breaching the FIA’s aero-elasticity parameters.
No party was found to be guilty of foul play but it is believed rules will be tougher in 2025.
Article 3.15.4 of F1’s technical regulations state that wings can’t flex more than 15mm under load-bearing tests but according to AutoRacer, a technical directive is on the way to tighten things up.
It’s expected that by the Spanish Grand Prix on June 1, the regulations will slash the wing-flex allowance to 10mm.
Sources have indicated to The Race that flexing could be reduced by up to a third, with an insider claiming: “I will be surprised if anyone will be able to play around with flexi wing designs as much as they were before.”
Why is this important?
Flexing front wings have been said to be a great performance enhancement under F1’s ground effect rules cycle, helping dial out understeer and oversteer to produce a car with greater balance.
As Red Bull found out to its dismay last year, a balanced car is a quick one and an unbalanced one is far trickier to extract performance from.
In conversation with Auto Motor und Sport, F1 design guru Adrian Newey spoke about why it’s becoming difficult to develop the current ground effect machines.
“It’s in the nature of things. A ground-effect car without side-sealing skirts like in the 80s will always be prone to instability.
“You’re looking for more and more vacuum under the car, but you’re always struggling with leakage from the side,” he explained.
Newey added that the current regulations are “close to the limit” so it’s no wonder teams have been chasing gains elsewhere and with flexi-wing regulations tightening, it could become even harder for teams to gain an edge in 2025.
The 2024 flexi-wing saga
The FIA introduced camera monitoring at last year’s Belgian GP as Ferrari and Red Bull pushed for clarity on what was and wasn’t legal under the regulations.
It was argued that McLaren and Mercedes were stealing an advantage with flexi-wings, and Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseuer was keen to get clarification before spending resources following suit.
Shortly after the Italian GP, the FIA deemed that no team was breaching the regulations around flexi-wings and Ferrari rushed to introduce its own interpretation in time for the Singapore GP.
An aggrieved Vasseur revealed to motorsport.com that “There was frustration because at one stage we were waiting for the decision of the FIA when they installed the cameras [from Spa].
“We were convinced that it will go for the ‘no go’. And it went for the ‘go’! So probably we lost one or two months,” he added.
A change of heart from the FIA
Imposing a tougher requirement on flexi wings this year appears to be a reversal of the FIA’s stance in 2024.
FIA Single-Seater Director Nicolas Tombazis had said “Because the front wing gets loaded in different ways, we cannot predict it easily in the regulations.
“As no two wings have exactly the same loading pattern, it is very difficult to come with a proper test,” Tombazis added.
“So, as these rules have been around since 2022, we felt it was a bit knee jerk to suddenly say that for 2025 we were going to change it, or indeed change something for 2024.
“But we are using this information we’re gathering to perhaps lead us to something a bit more effective for 2026.”
That stance changing will make one of the key areas of the 2025 development race a task of fine margins as the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes fight to end the current rules cycle on a high.
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