McLaren not ruling out joining Mercedes in flexi-wing protest
McLaren not ruling out joining Mercedes in flexi-wing protest
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has confirmed the team will wait to conclude its dialogue with the FIA before deciding on its next course of action in the flexi-wing saga.
At the Spanish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen's rear wing was seen to be flexing in a manner that allowed Red Bull to run a higher downforce set up without the trade-off of lower top speed.
While the wing had previously passed the FIA load tests, after the footage emerged a technical directive was issued detailing more stringent tests would be introduced from the French GP onwards.
The delay in the application, however, has caused a furore, with Mercedes indicating a potential legal challenge if the matter is not dealt with more swiftly.
Asked if McLaren would join this action, Seidl said: “Obviously, we are independent of what Mercedes is doing. We have a dialogue on this matter with the FIA.
"As we have said, we are absolutely not happy that our competitors can keep running these cars that from our point of view are clearly not within the regulations.
“That is why we have this dialogue with the FIA at the moment and then we have to take it from there."
Seidl maintains that "in principle", he is "not a big fan of protesting other teams", although has not ruled out the possibility.
He added: "As I say, we are in dialogue with the FIA to understand what they will put in place in order to make sure that teams that have designed devices, or parts, that allow things that we have seen in Barcelona simply can’t use these devices or parts anymore from now onwards. Then we will take it from there.”
Ferrari and Red Bull to gain an advantage in Baku?
Given the long straight at the Baku circuit that stages the next race in Azerbaijan, Seidl shares Mercedes' concern that rival teams, including Ferrari, could have an unfair advantage if the FIA fail to introduce its test for the weekend.
McLaren is currently embroiled in a fight with Ferrari for third in the constructors' standings, with every point quite naturally crucial.
“In the end, you simply can run a lot more downforce and still have the top speed, which is why this topic keeps coming back every now and then," explained Seidl.
“But again, there are regulations in place and every car has to comply with the regulations. It is as simple as that.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
McLaren star sets staggering new F1 RECORD
- 20 minutes ago
Hamilton relationship 'ENDS' as F1 legend looks for celebrity date
- 1 hour ago
F1 team boss lends support to Alonso amid HUGE backlash
- 2 hours ago
Mercedes driver reveals unique BENEFIT to being Verstappen’s team-mate
- 3 hours ago
Wolff WARNS Hamilton about Ferrari competitiveness
- Today 09:12
F1 owners ‘close’ to stunning £3.5 BILLION takeover of motorsport rival
- Today 08:27
F1 Race Calendar
-
GP BAHRAIN
29 Feb - 2 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP SAUDI ARABIA
7 - 9 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP AUSTRALIA
22 - 24 Mar
Carlos Sainz
- GP JAPAN 5 - 7 Apr
- GP CHINA 19 - 21 Apr
- GP USA 3 - 6 May
- GP ITALY 17 - 19 May
- GP MONACO 24 - 26 May
Related news
F1 team boss reveals KEY Piastri turning point
McLaren announce MEGA deal for key F1 star
Norris escapes F1 jump start punishment thanks to bizarre 'loophole'
Hamilton's former F1 team-mate set to undergo heart surgery
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860