2024 was a rollercoaster season for most teams, with no one really stamping authority from the start to the finish. It was only towards the end of the season that three teams — Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren — began fighting together at the front, and it was at the same time when two of them finally brought flexi-wing upgrades. Reports, however, state that the FIA could bring an early stop to this in 2025.
Earlier, Mercedes and McLaren were two teams who reportedly started using flexible front wings. Despite passing FIA’s load tests, these wings were deflecting more than expected to give them a slight advantage in the car’s pace and handling. While Red Bull and Ferrari were against this concept, they had to give up their protest to stay in contention.
Ahead of the United States GP in Austin, Ferrari brought upgrades to its front wing, which made it more flexible. It gave them an advantage of about a tenth of a second per lap, making for a good finish to the year for the Scuderia, and also for fans looking for competitive racing action.
In the last eight rounds, Ferrari and McLaren each won three races with Red Bull also getting two. All three teams reportedly had flexible front wings at this business end of the season.
This approach may not work in 2025 because according to an F1 tech analyst on X (formerly Twitter) named Vanja H, the FIA could launch new directives in the early part of the campaign that would limit the amount of flexibility permitted on the front wings.
#F1 Season 2025
Things are about to go down
After Ferrari got their floor sorted with Monza package, we’ve had 3 teams fighting at the top regularly (3 wins McLaren and Ferrari and 2 wins for Red Bull). Margins were minimal and Ferrari made an extra step (though small one)… https://t.co/SA9fcSlNu7
— Vanja H (@AeroGimli) January 31, 2025
If all teams decide to ‘exploit’ the front wing flexing on the 2025 challengers, with the FIA’s green light, they will still be allowed to do so. That’s because ‘the most probable effect of reducing this flexibility on all cars would probably be the same’.
On the other hand, if only one, or a handful of teams decide to go ahead with this, the FIA could have a ‘nasty surprise’.
Were flexi-wings legal?
The rules surrounding the usage of flexi-wings always appeared to be in a grey area. In short, they were legal. But to get the best out of them, certain teams were reportedly going above and beyond, bending the rules to get a more flexible front wing.
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari’s team principal, was not happy about the lack of proper directives. He wanted the FIA to be clear: whether it was legal, or not. “I’m a bit frustrated with this because it was clear performance, and we waited two months for the decision on if it’s legal or not,” he said to The Race.
It was a defining decision to make for Ferrari. After all, for much of the first half, the Maranello-based team struggled with performance, which changed when they did get the flexi-wing adjustments fitted to the SF-24. Had Ferrari been sure about its legality, they could have started earlier and potentially won more races.
2025, however, may not allow them to go down that path anymore. The new rules that are expected to be introduced will state a maximum deflection of 5 mm less than what was permitted in 2024. A clear handicap, and a huge difference in performance.
