As the 2024 season kicked off, fans anticipated another year of Red Bull’s supremacy, with other teams being mere spectators. However, as the season progressed, each team demonstrated notable advancements, especially teams like McLaren and Ferrari, which toppled the reigning world champion from the Constructors Standings.
With the development race for F1 cars heating up, Red Bull Racing appears increasingly vulnerable. After the Mexican GP, RBR has been pushed down to the third spot, and their world title dream appears to be over. However, the team has tried almost everything to keep its rivals at bay. Earlier, they knocked on the doors of FIA against Mercedes’ flexi wings. Mercedes showed remarkable improvement before the summer break races, winning three races quickly. This sudden resurgence has raised alarms among the engineers at Milton Keynes, prompting them to closely monitor Mercedes’ upgrades.
Red Bull Monitors Rival’s Front Wing Design
Earlier in June, a front-wing upgrade from Mercedes created a problem for the Silver Arrows, as Red Bull’s engineers meticulously monitored every upgrade from their rivals. This scrutiny comes in light of Mercedes’ noticeable improvement in performance. Before the Canadian Grand Prix, both Mercedes drivers struggled to finish in the top five. However, they delivered their best performance of the season on a challenging, rain-soaked circuit in Montreal.
As a result, all teams, particularly Red Bull, are kept a watchful eye on Toto Wolff’s squad. Red Bull closely examined the new front wings, with Paul Monaghan overseeing the analysis. The FIA’s front-wing regulations are strict, leaving little room for any illegal modifications. When George Russell utilized the updated setup, it successfully passed the FIA’s inspections, confirming its legality.
Nonetheless, Red Bull is concerned that this change has transformed the W15 into one of the fastest cars on the grid. While Mercedes has adjusted their front wings to comply with FIA standards, they suspect these modifications may perform differently during races. Consequently, Red Bull also reportedly submitted an unofficial request for a thorough inspection of Mercedes’ latest setup. All teams are allowed to test their designs during races, and while the FIA has established limits, some designs occasionally approach the threshold. However, when FIA conducted a test, the Mercedes front wings were found to be within the Flexi limit and were deemed legal.
FIA Clears Mercedes And McLaren Of Flexi Wing Allegations
The FIA has been in an override to ensure that front wings in Formula 1 comply with the 2024 Technical Regulations. This initiative includes thorough inspections at every event, concentrating on both surface conformity and deflection standards. Currently, all front wings meet the necessary requirements.
Following the Belgian Grand Prix, the FIA has intensified its oversight by gathering additional data during the FP1 and FP2 sessions. This involves utilizing an FIA-approved video camera to monitor the dynamic behavior of front wings in areas not captured by the official FOM cameras. This enhanced monitoring was extended through the Singapore Grand Prix, allowing the FIA to assess performance across various track types, from those with low downforce to those with very high downforce. The goal is to create a comprehensive database enabling the FIA to objectively analyze and quantify the variations in dynamic patterns observed throughout the grid.