Formula 1 is undergoing a period of regulatory change and the FIA (International Automobile Federation) has already implemented new changes to the regulations to plug loopholes and improve safety; the modification of the protocol for the black flag with orange disc is one of the most important points of this modification of the regulations, and the race director is allowed to immediately stop a car in dangerous circumstances and without mediation.
There have also been changes to the regulations regarding starts from the pit lane. Until now, drivers starting from the pits would avoid the formation lap and wait for the right moment to join the race. This strategy gave the drivers strategic advantages, such as choosing tires late when the track conditions changed. However, with the new regulations, the FIA seeks to equalize the procedure and avoid disparities between teams.
Ferrari at the center of controversy over its rear wing
The debate about Ferrari has gained relevance in the paddock after Red Bull has hinted at some kind of suspicion regarding the legality of the rear wing of the SF-25. The Austrian squad points out that the shape of the wing structure allows for flexion as top speed approaches, thus reducing air resistance with the consequent aerodynamic advantage.
As has been explained in the paddock, Red Bull has lodged a complaint with the FIA letting them know that the matrix of the carbon material used in the SF-25 has a flexible behavior that adapts, as if it were the flexibility of an airplane wing, to the speed of the car. This flexibility, even though it passes the static checks carried out by the FIA, could allow Ferrari to obtain an aerodynamic advantage that it should not be using.
McLaren is also in the spotlight for using similar mechanisms, so the FIA has already decided to take action and anticipates more in-depth inspections prior to the official start of the season in Australia. Ferrari, however, continues to resist and is confident that its resolutions are in accordance with the regulations.
The FIA is preparing a thorough investigation into Ferrari’s rear wing
Following the insistence of the Red Bull team and other voices within the paddock, the FIA has gone one step further and decided to organize a verification according to a series of observations that will be made in the factories of Maranello and Woking before the start of the season. The technical commissioners entrusted with carrying out in-depth tests on the composition of the rear wings of Ferrari and McLaren will calculate whether their behavior on the track is in accordance with the current specifications.
The technical verifications on the track will also be intensified in the Australian Grand Prix, where the FIA delegates will carry out more severe tests than those carried out so far to detect possible irregularities in the flexibility of the aerodynamic elements. If they find evidence that Ferrari has taken advantage of a grey area in the regulations, they could impose additional restrictions or demand that they modify their car immediately.
For the moment Ferrari remains firm in its assumed opinion that the design of its SF-25 is 100% legal. But, as pressure from the Red Bull team intensifies with the FIA’s incessant vigilance, the technical struggle of Formula 1 has arrived.