“Out of the regulations”: Sergio Perez gives his verdict on FIA’s ruling over McLaren’s controversial rear wing in Baku

Sergio Perez believes McLaren has a legal car but its rear wing is not within the regulations. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the Mexican clarified that McLaren had been cleared by the FIA for its controversial rear wing design.

The McLaren rear wing design has sparked controversy after Oscar Piastri’s car in Baku was in the spotlight as he won the race. Red Bull and other rivals were complaining about the legality of the wing. Sergio Perez found that McLaren's rear wing was bending which surprised him. He clarified that it was a legal car but questioned the wing's functioning. The flexible movement of the McLaren's rear wing is speculated to give it a significant advantage.

After comments from several drivers and opinions of teams, McLaren issued a statement to on-site media, including Sportskeeda, stating that the team was in conversation with the FIA and had made minor changes to the wing.

Asked about the rear wing of the McLaren, Sergio Perez said:

“I think it's clear that it is out of the regulations and its a legal car. A bit surprised with it, also they’ve done a few races with it and nothing did happen.”

Probed further to clarify his opinion on the legalities of the wing, he added:

“Yeah I I really thought that was not part of the regulation. My personal opinion, you see clearly the rear wing is bending, but obviously, they have done the checks and it seems that it's a legal car.”

Following the remarks by several drivers, McLaren issued a statement saying:

“Whilst our Baku rear wing complies with the regulations and passes all FIA deflection tests, McLaren have proactively offered to make some minor adjustments to the wing following our conversations with the FIA. We would also expect the FIA to have similar conversations with other teams in relation to the compliance of their rear wings.”

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Sergio Perez laments Red Bull RB20 performance at Marina Bay circuit

Sergio Perez lamented the pace of the RB20 in the Friday free practice at the Marina bay circuit in Singapore. Even in 2023, the dominant Red Bull RB19 underdelivered at the street circuit, making the venue one of its weaknesses on the calendar. The Mexican driver was 14th in FP1, whereas his teammate Max Verstappen was fourth fastest. In FP2, he was eighth whereas his teammate was 15th. Both Red Bulls were at least a second off the pace of the lead car in both sessions.

Evaluating the Friday practice sessions, Sergio Perez acknowledged the improved lap time but felt the car lacked balance. He added that it was going to be a difficult weekend and it was important to find solutions overnight.

Speaking to F1 TV after the practice sessions, Sergio Perez said:

“I think we improved a little bit, but still we are lacking quite a lot of balance. It’s quite difficult out there to put a lap together, [so] it’s not looking great at the moment. Definitely we’ve got some work to do overnight because we are quite far [behind].”

Despite the improved performance in Baku, Sergio Perez remains the main hope for Red Bull in the top 10 with his natural suitability to street circuits. However, with its cars being placed way out of the top five, it could give rivals like McLaren and Ferrari a significant advantage if Red Bull fails to achieve a good race result.

Currently, McLaren is 20 points ahead of Red Bull in the constructors' championship and Ferrari is 31 points behind. A poor showing could help the Woking based team increase its margin in the points. Even its junior team RB looked comfortable in the top 10 and did not suffer from any balance issues.