FIA rule change forces McLaren to make adjustment

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has confirmed his squad has been forced to make changes in light of the FIA's flexi-wing clampdown.

Earlier this year, the governing body confirmed it would impose stricter tests on the front wings from the Spanish Grand Prix later in the season.

It follows a thorough investigation conducted last year that found no parties were in breach of the regulations after concerns were raised from particular teams.

Williams' boss James Vowles revealed the original plan was for the new rules to be enforced from round seven before the F1 teams convinced the FIA to delay the introduction.

While McLaren has had to undergo changes, Stella asserted it has not caused concern for the reigning constructors' champions.

“It’s not been a headache at all, to be honest,” Stella told Sky F1. 

“We don’t have to make much adjustments at all for the start of the season.

“There are some small adjustments required from race nine, I know it has become a big talking point.

“But in terms of what makes us busy and what gives us a headache, it’s a completely different topic which has much more to do with gaining those tenths of a second.”

McLaren confirm 'innovative' new 2025 F1 car

McLaren launched its all-new MCL39 earlier this year as it goes in the hunt for double championship success for the first time since 1998.

Despite the regulations remaining relatively stable over the winter break, Stella confirmed there are a number of innovations with the new car.

“In terms of improving the car, in addition to downward dynamic efficiency, in reality, that's by far the most important target that you have,” Stella told media including RacingNews365.

“What we tried to achieve with this new car which is innovative, is a car in which we tried to raise the bar in many areas, including the fundamental layout.

“It's something that definitely we evaluated carefully, because the MCL38 was already a competitive car, so we needed to be conscious as to how much we wanted to innovate it.

“This is predominantly to gain aerodynamic efficiency, as to allow our colleagues in aerodynamics to have volumes to use for their geometries. 

“At the same time, we still wanted to make some improvements in terms of interaction with the tyres and what you can do to improve long run pace. 

“Fundamentally they are the two areas - obviously there's some tuning on the suspension as well in terms of the mechanical grip, but nowadays the suspension, they pretty much tend to serve aerodynamics.”