Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur criticizes FIA and McLaren for a contentious rear wing, demanding immediate action.
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur expressed frustration after discovering that McLaren had recently employed a rear wing which the FIA has now requested be modified, as he believes there is no grey area in Formula 1 regulations.
Rearward-facing cameras in Baku revealed that McLaren’s rear wing flexed enough to open a small slot where the DRS flap would normally open, leading to an increased top speed when DRS is not engaged.
The FIA confirmed today that it had “requested a minor modification to the wing as is customary during discussions on technical issues with teams,” although it is not a configuration likely to be used in Singapore.
Vasseur stated that recent discussions regarding McLaren’s front wing were a debatable point open to interpretation, but he feels the regulations on the rear wing are clear to everyone.
“I think there’s a kind of confusion between what happened with the front wing and the rear wing. The front wing, we all agree that it could be a grey area because the first paragraph of the regulation says you cannot design a part of the car with the intention of deforming it. Intention is hard to manage.”
“The rear wing story is completely different, as in the article, you also have a maximum deflection, and it’s black or white. It’s not grey, dark grey, or light grey. It’s black and black. And for me, it’s clear.”
“McLaren should never have done that and the FIA should have banned it immediately.”
With McLaren securing the front row at Monza and Oscar Piastri challenging Charles Leclerc for the win in Azerbaijan, Vasseur says the tight nature of the races makes it frustrating that such small margins can make a major difference. He calculates that McLaren’s wing has cost Ferrari dearly!
“We’ve looked at previous events and it was only on low downforce tracks. I’m not sure they intend to use the same trick here in Singapore, as they didn’t at Zandvoort, for example.”
“But we have to leave the responsibility for technical checks to the FIA. It’s not my job to do that or anyone else’s. They need to handle it and we need to trust them. Honestly, I’m not complaining about that.”
“I think it’s more than borderline. We’ve all seen the videos and photos of it, and it’s a bit frustrating when, if you recall the situation at Monza, we had five cars within two hundredths of a second, and you go from 1st or 2nd place to 5th or 6th in two hundredths of a second. In Baku, we had 10 consecutive laps coming side by side into turn 1, so you can imagine we’re a bit frustrated.”
Was a protest considered?
“It could have been possible, but it’s not so easy to gather evidence. Now, honestly, I want to turn the page because I want to focus on the future. Baku and Monza are behind us. We still have seven races to go. We need to win this weekend and that will be the best response we can give.”
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Ferrari’s Vasseur Slams FIA – McLaren Tactics Ferrari’s Vasseur Slams FIA – McLaren Tactics
