Ferrari airs ‘frustration’ over McLaren rear wing decision

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has voiced his "frustration" at the time it took for the FIA to require McLaren to alter its contentious flexible rear wing. 

The Woking-based team ran the so-called 'flexi-wing' in the Italian and Azerbaijan Grand Prix, winning the latter in a close fight between Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc.

The rear wing has passed all FIA tests and remains legal, as McLaren has maintained throughout, despite increasingly intense scrutiny from its rivals - particularly after footage of the wing went viral from Piastri's rear-mounted camera in Baku.

Essentially, the wing flexes between a high-downforce configuration during corners with flaps towards the edge of the wing opening up during straights to convert to a low-downforce mode, aiding top speed.

However, the FIA has now moved to limit the amount of flex the wing is able to achieve, as confirmed to RacingNews365, a measure that will go some way to curbing the straight-line speed advantage McLaren enjoyed in Monza and Baku.

It was put to Vasseur that even with the restrictions now imposed on the wing, McLaren has enjoyed use of it at circuits where it can make a big difference.

"This is true," the Frenchman replied to media including RacingNews365. "We had a look on the previous events, and it was only on the low-downforce tracks. I'm not sure that they [would] want to use the same trick in Singapore or in Zandvoort, for example.

"We have to give the responsibility to this continuing to the FIA, and it's not my job to do it. They [the FIA] have to to do it, and we have to trust them honestly, but I'm not complaining about this.

"I think it's more than borderline. We also have the video and and the picture of this, and it's a bit frustrating when, if you remember perfectly, the situation in Monza, we had five cars in two-hundredths [tenths, of a second] of a second [in qualifying], and you move from P1, P2 to P5, P6 for two-hundredths [tenths, of a second].

"In Baku, we arrive 10 laps in a row, side by side, Turn 1. You can imagine that we have a bit of frustration."

Rear wing rules are 'black and white'

As mentioned, the FIA has confirmed to RacingNews365 that McLaren must now make adjustments to prevent excessive movement, but that crucially the wing remains legal.

Nevertheless, Vasseur was asked if the initial statement made by the FIA to provide further clarify on the legality of the wing was at all concerning.

"I'm not sure that is the right word," the 56-year-old replied before drawing a distinction between the current rear wing issue and the debate around flex in front wings from earlier in the season.

"I think there is a kind of confusion between what's happened with the front wing and the rear wing.

"The front wing, we all agree that it could be a grey area because in the TD [technical directive], the first paragraph of the TD is saying that you can't design a part of the car with the intention of the de-formation. Intention is difficult to manage.

"The rear wing story, it's completely different, because on the article, you have also a maximum deflection. 

"And this is black and white. It's not no grey, no dark grey, no light grey... for me, it's clear."