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The FIA has made its initial decision on the legality of Ferrari's radical rear-wing design, first seen on Thursday in F1 testing.

During his five laps on track before other technical gremlins struck, Hamilton deployed a unique rear-wing design where the slot gap for the active aero flipped up, turned through 270 degrees to open.

On Wednesday, the team had run a typical DRS-style opening, and when Hamilton returned to the track on Thursday afternoon, he was running this variant again, with boss Fred Vasseur not ruling out the wing being used in grands prix.

When deployed, the wing actually creates lift like an aircraft wing, helping to reduce drag even further and boost the top speed.

Addressing the fresh design, the FIA's single-seater technical director Nikolas Tombazis explained about the "freedom" teams had been given in this area, as he gave a positive verdict on the design's legality.

"We have, generally speaking, encouraged solutions that reduce drag," Tombazis told media, including RacingNews365.

"That's why the DRS regulations of last year, which were limiting the amount of [slot gap] opening, have not been maintained this year.

"It is to give more freedom, and the Ferrari solution, we believe, is okay."

Also interesting:

Join RacingNews365’s Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding as they look back on last week’s first test in Bahrain and this week’s second test at the same venue. The trio debate Max Verstappen’s criticism of the regulations and whether Formula 1 is facing an identity crisis.

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