series of rows between them and rivals Red Bull<\/a> as the championship drew to a conclusion. <\/p>\nA spokesperson for governing body the FIA said: “We are committed to ensure that bodywork flexibility is no longer a point of contention for the 2025 season.”<\/p>\n
Tougher tests will be applied to wings in two phases in the first part of the new season, the FIA said.<\/p>\n
The first of these, which applies to rear wings, will be introduced at the season-opening race in Australia on 14-16 March.<\/p>\n
The second, regarding front wings, will come into force at the Spanish Grand Prix, running from 30 May to 1 June.<\/p>\n
The spokesperson added: “This phased approach allows teams to adapt without the need to discard existing components unnecessarily.<\/p>\n
“These adjustments are aimed at further refining our ability to monitor and enforce bodywork flexibility regulations, ensuring a level playing field for all competitors to promote fair and exciting racing.”<\/p>\n
The FIA said the change in testing was as a consequence of “further analysis carried out by the FIA single-seater department after the conclusion of the 2024 season”.<\/p>\n
But the spokesperson denied that it was a response to complaints from Red Bull about the flexibility of McLaren’s wings.<\/p>\n
Teams have long used the ability to make wings flex as a tool to increase performance.<\/p>\n
The principle is that drag can be reduced on the straight as the wing changes shape under increased load, boosting straight-line speed, before the wing flicks back to a maximum downforce-producing specification as the car slows for corners, to boost grip.<\/p>\n
In general, the process allows teams to run the cars with more downforce in the corners without sacrificing straight-line speed, which would normally be a consequence of more powerful wings.<\/p>\n
This has become especially important with the current generation of cars, because their inherent design makes it difficult to achieve an ideal handling balance between high- and low-speed cornering.<\/p>\n
That was the major issue Red Bull came up against last year as their competitiveness suffered following a dominant start to the season.<\/p>\n
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won a fourth consecutive world title after fending off McLaren’s Lando Norris in the second half of the championship.<\/p>\n
But Red Bull’s performance struggles – and a resultant poor season by Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez – meant they finished third in the constructors’ championship behind McLaren and Ferrari.<\/p>\n
Having wings that can flex and reduce drag on the straights allows teams to find a more optimum balance to reduce understeer – a lack of front grip – in slow corners while not suffering from excessive oversteer – a lack of rear grip – at high speed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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