Relief for Mercedes and McLaren as FIA declares their front wings as legal

FIA has released a statement and cleared all teams, including Mercedes and McLaren, of having legal front wings. Fans and teams raised doubts about the front wing of the two top teams, given the performance gains they have made in the 2024 season.

The Woking-based team introduced a significant upgrade package in the Miami GP earlier this season, which catapulted them to the front of the grid and made them currently the most competitive package. Many claimed that the front wing of the MCL38 has been a significant factor in creating the efficient downforce generated by the car.

The likes of Red Bull and Ferrari raised some doubts over the flexible nature of the front wing and wanted FIA to investigate the matter after the Italian GP. However, as per Motorsport.com, the sport's governing body cleared all the teams of having a legal front wing as they passed the checks. The statement read:

"The FIA is examining front wings at every event with numerous checks (conformity of surfaces, conformity of deflections) with respect to the relevant F1 Technical Regulation. All front wings are currently compliant with the 2024 regulations."

"Since the Belgium Grand Prix, the FIA has acquired additional data during FP1 and FP2 sessions to assess dynamic behaviors through an FIA-mandated video camera which captures areas of the front wing that are not visible through the official FOM cameras."

Red Bull and Ferrari team bosses seek clarification on McLaren's front wing

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner stated that he believed that the front wing angles of the McLaren and Mercedes 2024 challengers were 'very different' to the rest of the cars this year.

As per The Race, Horner said:

“The way that the front wings are being used are quite different. If you look at the front wing angle of McLaren and Mercedes, they’re very, very different to the rest of the grid. The regs are very clear. That’s an FIA issue, so obviously there’s a test you pass and then you have to look at the wording of the regulations."

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur too sought clarification from the FIA and added:

“This is a discussion I don’t want to have with you. I will have it with [FIA single-seater director Nikolas] Tombazis. We have to respect the decision of the FIA. But we will have the discussion again. We have to deal with it internally with the FIA.”

McLaren and Mercedes have closed the gap to Red Bull and Ferrari in terms of performance and results, post the Miami GP. They have become more competitive after introducing their respective upgrade package at various points of the season.