WATCH: McLaren's rear wing raises suspicions as the DRS flap appears to open automatically on the straights

A clip of McLaren's rear wing recently surfaced on X where its DRS flap was seen partially opening automatically on long straights during the 2024 F1 Azerbaijan GP. Many were curious to see the automatic DRS flap mechanic and questioned whether, as per technical regulations, it was legal or not.

During the race in Baku, Oscar Piastri drove impressively and took his second F1 win ever. He started the race behind Charles Leclerc and quickly overtook the Ferrari driver with a bold turn 1 move. Following that, he kept the Monagasque at bay and defended multiple overtaking attempts.

Despite having good straight-line speed with DRS, Leclerc was simply unable to overtake the young Australian. Keen eyes in the F1 community were quick to notice a curious aerodynamic feature on McLaren's rear wing.

They noticed that the MCL38's rear wing's DRS flaps were slightly opening near the wing tips without the driver activating the DRS system.

Take a look at the clip showcasing the papaya car's rear wing during the Azerbaijan GP on X:

Ideally, the DRS flap is completely closed even at high speeds, and can only open when a driver is chasing another and the gap between the two is under one second. Only then will the chasing driver be able to open the DRS flap and reduce the drag considerably to create overtaking chances.

In this case, however, it looks like McLaren's DRS flap is automatically opening from the sides to give the drivers an advantage even if they are unable to open their entire flap.

As of now, the British team themselves, other teams, or the FIA, have not officially commented on this feature.

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Red Bull team boss points out McLaren's front wing's extra flex

Before McLaren's rear wing was questioned, Red Bull and Ferrari also raised concerns to the FIA that the British team and Mercedes were using front wings that were flexing more than usual.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner commented on both team's front wing angles and how they were extremely different from other cars on the grid. As per The Race, Horner shed light on the front wings of both teams, raising questions about how they operate under load during races and that the FIA should look into the matter.

“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," Horner said.

The FIA later released a statement that they made several checks on all front wings and declared that each of them was compliant with the 2024 F1 technical regulations.

"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," the statement read, as per Motorsport.com.

The fight for the constructors' championship between McLaren and Red Bull has intensified in the last few races. After Piastri's win in Baku, McLaren with 476 points, has taken the lead of the title from the defending world champions, who only have 456 points.