Tombazis: F1 to stick to current flexi front wing tests

There will be no changes to the front wing flex tests used in Formula 1 despite the minor uproar over flexing wings in 2024, according to Nicolas Tombazis, the FIA’s head of single-seater affairs.

In response to a question asked by ferrari And in 2024 Red Bull is mainly concerned about the flexibility of the front wing relative to other teams mclaren And mercedes, FIA to install surveillance cameras on cars at Belgian Grand Prix and beyond,

This was not intended to change the rules in the short term, but rather as part of a fact-finding mission to determine what should be done with future iterations of the rules.

Meanwhile, the FIA ​​had announced that it had no problems with the McLaren and Mercedes wings; As long as they passed the flex test, the governing body was happy.

But Tombazis explained that the differences in loading between each front wing on the grid made it difficult for the FIA ​​to create a one-size-fits-all test to prohibit any exploitation of aeroelasticity.

“We’re quite happy with what we’ve seen,” Tombazis told Motorsport.com in an exclusive interview. “I hasten to say that it is not a question of always being happy or not.

“It’s also a question of whether you think a meaningful trial can be done.

“One of the challenges in the front wing is that, compared to other parts of the car, front wing loading varies a lot in a given location and between similar cars.

“Therefore most tests concern a load of a certain direction, certain conditions of application, of certain magnitude, which should not produce (certain) deformations.

“The most successful tests of this kind simulate as closely as possible what happens with loads in real life and, for example, on the rear wing, it is reasonably successful. On the front wing, the variations between cars would make it quite difficult “

Tombazis said there have been no changes to front wing flex tests since the current rules came into effect in 2022 and, as part of this, it will not make changes for 2025.

ferrari is already understood Developed its own version of flexing front wing More than 2024, and it’s also an opportunity for Red Bull if it hasn’t already created its own version.

“Obviously, there was a lot of noise about it during the summer and early fall,” Tombazis said.

“We made it clear to the teams at least from 2022 onwards that we are not planning to start any further testing on the front wing and we stuck to that.”