Ferrari turns tables on McLaren in ‘not legal’ claim amid MCL38 wing changes

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur says, in his opinion, the rear wing used by McLaren in Azerbaijan was “not legal”.

McLaren’s rear wing ‘mini-DRS’ came to light as camera footage looking backward from Oscar Piastri’s MCL38 showed the slot gap on the wing opening wider on the high-speed straights in Baku.

Fred Vasseur: McLaren’s Baku rear wing was not legal

Following an investigation into McLaren’s rear wing flexibility after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which was won by Piastri as the McLaren driver held off Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc following a thrilling battle, the FIA agreed with McLaren that the design of the low-downforce wings needed to be tweaked.

McLaren’s wings passed all required FIA static load tests but, ultimately, the FIA deemed the wing’s behaviour unacceptable and McLaren “proactively” agreed to adjust its low-drag specification.

The FIA has since issued clearer guidelines for all teams regarding acceptable rear-wing designs, as other teams were also found to be experimenting with slot gap openings.

Nikolas Tombazis, head of single-seater matters at the FIA, has revealed that several teams had to make adjustments for Austin, with McLaren being the only one to confirm changes to its entire rear wing range – albeit with a denial that this was as a result of a direct request from the governing body.

“McLaren proactively offered to make some minor adjustments to our rear wing following the Azerbaijan GP,” a McLaren spokesperson told PlanetF1.com.

“We have made minor adjustments to all our rear wings since Baku to varying extents to ensure no further issues in this area.”

Tombazis, speaking to Motorsport.com in Austin, said: “We issued after Singapore some communication about rear wings, saying what we would consider acceptable or not acceptable, and two or three teams had to make some small tweaks to adjust to that.”

It’s unconfirmed which other teams have had to make modifications, but Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur confirmed the Scuderia was not one of those teams as he spoke to media, including PlanetF1.com, following his team’s 1-2 in Austin.

“We didn’t make any change on the rear wing,” he said, “but I think it was speaking more about the low-downforce configuration that I’m not sure that someone didn’t change on the rear wing between Singapore and Austin.”

The Ferrari team boss also told Sky Italy over the US GP weekend while speaking about the McLaren rear wing that “this is not, for me, legal,” continuing on from his statement in Singapore that, “the rear wing story, it’s completely different because, in the Article [of the regulations] you have also a maximum deflection and this is black or white.

“It’s no grey, no dark grey, no light grey. It’s black and white and for me, it’s clear.”

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Fred Vasseur: Ferrari will trust FIA on Red Bull floor matter

With Red Bull making headlines as details of its bib ride height adjustment device became public, triggering speculation of the theoretical possibility of it being used under parc fermé regulations – a clear breach of the regulations – Vasseur also said he is trusting the governing body on the matter.

The FIA despatched scrutineers to the garages over the United States Grand Prix, taking a look at the bib adjustment devices of all 10 F1 cars – Red Bull very publicly demonstrated how its system worked in full view of Sky F1’s cameras.

For now, the FIA believes there’s no more to the matter, and Vasseur said he will be taking the same stance.

“The floor situation is in the hands of the FIA but it’s my job, and I have to trust the FIA on this,” he said.

“It’s not from the Ferrari perspective. It’s not up to me to decide if something is legal or not. But I’m not in the car, and my job is to be focused on what we are doing to try to do a better job next week than this weekend, to try to improve details and, for the legality of the other cars, I have to trust the FIA.

“I don’t want to make any comment on rumours, and I don’t know what has happened because I am not in the team, so I don’t know if they’ve used it or not.

“But if they use it, it is clearly cheating, it is not a grey area.

“We’ve had tons of grey areas from the beginning of the season, but if this is the case, it wouldn’t be a grey area at all.

“But we have to trust the FIA.”

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