FIA Quells Hype on McLaren's Wing: All Teams Gained

FIA claims the uproar over McLaren F1’s rear wing was unwarranted, noting benefits for all teams.

The Formula 1 world has overreacted to the controversy surrounding McLaren’s contentious “mini DRS” rear wing, a senior FIA official has conceded.

Red Bull, with backstage support from Ferrari, lodged three protests with the FIA regarding the clever curvature of McLaren’s rear wing. The FIA eventually advised McLaren that a suitable solution to the issue would be to make voluntary changes to the design going forward, which the team accepted.

Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s single-seater director, defended the Woking-based team.

“The wing passed all the tests and complied with what was written in the technical guidelines,” the Greek reminded.

“It did not deserve this excessive furore.”

Regarding how the FIA attempted to discreetly manage the controversy, Tombazis added: “All teams, without exception, even those making the most noise currently, have at times benefited from this approach.”

“In my view, it was the right thing to do from a sporting perspective, and it did not warrant such exaggeration. But it’s natural given the tightness of the championship.”

“In Baku, the sun was in a certain direction, which accentuated this phenomenon. It was not the case in Monza and Spa, where nobody noticed it. Perhaps if someone had come to us, we might have acted a bit sooner.”