Ferrari has admitted it was late to the party in exploiting the benefits of Formula 1’s flexi wing tricks because it was convinced the FIA would clamp down on the practice.
F1 teams have found that exploiting aero elasticity on front wings with the current generation of cars can be a powerful tool in getting rid of an inherent trait for low-speed understeer and high-speed oversteer that the ground effect machines have.
The balance gains for a well optimised flexi front wing can be noticeable, which is why teams like McLaren and Mercedes have made notable steps when optimising their designs throughout this season.
Ferrari has itself adopted a new flexi front wing design since the Singapore Grand Prix to seek its own performance boost in this area, and that has coincided with a return to form for the Italian manufacturer which included wins in the United States and Mexico.
Reflecting on why it was so late to aggressively pursue the concept, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has explained that it stalled because of its belief that a move by the FIA to investigate flexi wing behaviours from the Belgian GP would result in the activity being made more restrictive.
Instead, as Ferrari subsequently found out, the FIA adopted the stance that it was happy with what teams were up to and it has made it clear that it sees no reason to change the rules.
Speaking to Autosport about the flexi wing situation, Vasseur said: “There was frustration because at one stage we were waiting for the decision of the FIA when they installed the cameras [from the Belgian GP].
“We were convinced that it will go for the ‘no go’. And it went for the 'go!' So probably we lost one or two months.”
Vasseur said that Ferrari’s decision to hold fire in pursuing a front wing design that could exploit aero elasticity better was also influenced by the fact that F1’s cost cap restriction meant it could not afford to push ahead if there was a risk it would never be used.
“It's difficult because with the cost cap you have to make your choices,” added Vasseur.
“It means that if you are convinced that it won't be allowed, and you have start to develop something, then it's costing you a time in the wind tunnel. But it was our decision.”
From the Belgian GP, the FIA ramped up its analysis of the flexing of front wings on teams, installing new video cameras and extra monitoring stickers to allow it to better understand the dynamics at play.
Speaking recently about what the governing body had found, the FIA’s head of single seaters Nikolas Tombazis said that the conclusion was that because of the variation of approach of teams, it would have been unfair to introduce any change to flexi wing regulations in the short term.
“Because the front wing gets loaded in different ways, we cannot predict it easily in the regulations,” he said. “As no two wings have exactly the same loading pattern, it is very difficult to come with a proper test.
“So, as these rules have been around since 2022, we felt it was a bit knee jerk to suddenly say that for 2025 we were going to change it, or indeed change something for 2024.
“But we are using this information we're gathering to perhaps lead us to something a bit more effective for 2026.”
