Max Verstappen's father Jos Verstappen shares clip of McLaren's rear wing flexing alarmingly during the F1 Japanese GP

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen's father and former F1 driver Jos Verstappen shared a clip of McLaren's rear wing flexing during the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend. The British team has been riding on a high in the sport ever since its resurgence in the middle of the 2024 season, which resulted in its first Constructors' Championship since 1998.

The Woking-based outfit has made a storming start to the 2025 season and has won two of the three races thus far, with both drivers sharing wins in Australia and China. One of the major factors behind their advantage has been flexible wings, which provide an additional dose of performance, especially in high-speed corners.

Despite some FIA intervention last year regarding their 'mini DRS,' McLaren has continued to stick to their flexi wing concept. In a clip on Cytrus F1's account on X, the MCL39 could be seen flexing during the high-speed 130R turn while chasing Max Verstappen's Red Bull in Japan.

The clip was later reposted by Max Verstappen's father, Jos Verstappen, on his X account.

Speaking with Channel 4, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believed that the FIA clampdown, which would come into effect from the Spanish GP later in the year, would be a "game changer," saying, via Crash.net:

“Well look, I mean, in the first three races, we’ve [finished] 0.8 of a second behind Lando – We were fourth in China and won this race. So we’re one point behind in the driver’s championship.

"Don’t underestimate the regulation change of race nine, you know, with these front wings. That could be a game-changer. The first four are super tight, and as you well know, there’s no better tonic than a win.”

The Austrian team has consistently claimed that they did not have any flexi wings on their cars. Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko had similar views on the FIA clampdown and its effect on Max Verstappen's title bid.

Red Bull advisor chimes in on how FIA flexi wing clampdown could aid Max Verstappen

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believed that the FIA flexi-wing clampdown would be an "advantage" for Max Verstappen in the 2025 season.

Speaking with Auto Motor Und Sport, the Austrian gave his honest opinion on the technical directive and said:

“Now everyone except the smaller teams has built a wing that bends. It’s insane that they will all throw them away in the middle of the season. The FIA should have realized by now that rules have to be written in such a way that there are no grey areas like this. It will definitely advantage Max. No one else handles a difficult car like he does.”

Apart from McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes have been using flexi wings on their respective cars, which have aided them in terms of results on track since last year.