Helmut Marko Takes the Referee Job at Spanish GP to Monitor Mercedes’ Flexi Wings Amidst Complaints

Red Bull are once again at loggerheads with Mercedes over the Silver Arrows’ improved competitiveness, which the Milton Keynes-based outfit deem is due to a flexible front wing. Mercedes brought this new spec front wing in Monaco and immediately saw the performance of the W15 improve in Canada. Since then, Red Bull have raised concerns about the flexing of the Mercedes’ front wing. They also raised similar concerns about the front wings of Ferrari and McLaren. Now, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko is going to monitor and observe the W15’s front wing at the Spanish GP this weekend.

According to a post on Twitter (now X), Marko stated, “I have a new task for myself this weekend. I will watch Mercedes more closely. The flexing front wing is an important issue. I have to make sure everything goes according to the rule book”.

Previously, the Milton Keynes outfit’s engineers had reportedly started observing the new Mercedes front wing, after the Silver Arrows’ stellar performance in Montreal. There were also reports of an “unofficial request” to the FIA’s technical office about the same for monitoring this alleged flexi wing.

There has been some visible footage of the new W15 front wing flexing too much beyond the permissible limit when at high speeds. However, Mercedes claim that their updated wing is within the regulations and has helped them to improve the stability and overall performance of the car, especially the airflow to the venturi tunnels.

Now, unless Red Bull officially protest or the FIA tend to take their load tests of the front wing for Mercedes and other teams like McLaren and Ferrari under suspicion of using a flexi front wing, nothing can be said.

Besides Mercedes, Red Bull also make similar complaints against McLaren and Ferrari

Besides Mercedes, even McLaren and Ferrari’s front wings have rang the alarm bells at Red Bull. AMuS reported how the Austrian outfit is unhappy with the excessive bending on the SF-24 and the MCL38, which may arguably help both teams bridge the performance gap to the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

While Red Bull themselves have faced some fundamental car ride issues with their RB20, McLaren and Ferrari’s upgrades have got them right in the mix for poles and race wins. Thus, the Milton Keynes outfit is trying its level best to limit both their rivals’ progress via these flexi-wing concerns.

However, the defending champions are not going to sit back on the developmental side themselves if the FIA doesn’t take any action against McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes. One of their engineers stated, “if this continues to be tolerated, we will have to go the same way”.

Thus, the flexi wing saga that has been inherent to this ground effect regulations era is once again becoming a popular subplot in the 2024 season. The pertinent question that arises is whether Mercedes, McLaren, or Ferrari are in breach of the FIA’s permissible flexing limits of the wings.