FIA To Check F1 Wing Flex Before Melbourne

A week before the 2025 season even starts, the first technical controversy has already emerged.

Just a day before he jumps on a plane for the long haul to Melbourne, reigning world champion Max Verstappen insisted he is not the favourite.

“At the moment there is only one team and that is McLaren,” he told Viaplay. “For me they are clearly ahead.”

The Dutchman revealed that Red Bull’s winter was not all smooth sailing, adding that he “can’t imagine” he will be fighting for the win on Sunday.

“Bumps and driving over curbs are still a problem. And the car tends to understeer too much for my liking,” Verstappen added.

Team advisor Dr Helmut Marko fully agrees.

“Our car has improved, but it still has weaknesses,” he told Osterreich. “If we can fix them in Australia, things won’t look so bad.”

Red Bull’s stance comes amid team technical director Pierre Wache’s publicly-aired concerns about the flexibility of the front and rear wings on two key rivals in particular.

“It is still going on,” he said, amid reports Red Bull has complained to the FIA and may even be prepared to protest. “I think Ferrari and McLaren are doing the mini-DRS stuff still.”

FIA scrutineers were seen looking at the McLaren and Ferrari wings in detail at the pre-season test, and Italian reports now suggest they may even attend those teams’ respective factories prior to Melbourne for an even closer inspection.

Tighter rear wing checks apply as of Melbourne, although the FIA will wait until Barcelona in June to clamp down harder on the flexibility of front wings.

“The change is not big enough to turn the balance of power on its head,” Williams boss James Vowles predicts.

He also said attributing McLaren’s current lead to wing flexibility alone is “a mistake”.

“It’s a coherent package in all areas,” said Vowles. “McLaren has simply understood the development direction of this type of car correctly.”