Gary Anderson, a former race car designer and now technical expert for The Race, commented on the hype surrounding the flexibility of McLaren’s rear wing, believing rivals’ claims were clearly exaggerated.
Although the FIA considers McLaren’s rear wing to be perfectly legal, other teams continue to complain about it. It seems that these complaints have led to changes in the wing design to better control the degree of flexibility in the future. Either the federation demanded it, or McLaren proposed it themselves.
However, Anderson doubts that we will see the version of the aero bodykit that was seen in Baku again – except perhaps in Las Vegas. Therefore, whatever happens will have little impact on the remaining races of the season.
If the rear wing bends and the gap between the surfaces increases slightly towards the edges, this actually only means that the FIA is using the wrong methods during its bending tests
Moreover, it is highly doubtful whether such a change in wing geometry would provide any tangible benefit.
The regulations require that the minimum clearance is 10 mm when the DRS is closed and the maximum clearance is not more than 85 mm when the DRS is open. It can be calculated that the speed increase with the wing open is about 24 km/h.
It can also be determined through some calculations that McLaren’s flexible wing can provide a speed increase of no more than 0.65 km/h. And when you compare this possible gain with the inevitable risks, it becomes clear that the game is not worth the candle.
Other teams should be more careful in their claims against McLaren, as it is possible that they have highlighted certain points that the Woking team was not even aware of.
In general, there are many ways in which teams can attempt to gain an advantage, and these methods are much more effective than experimenting with a flexible rear wing.
Furthermore, in reality it is extremely difficult to reproduce the stresses that aerodynamic body kit elements experience at speeds below 360 km/h, although the discussion is now about such cases. So if your car passes all the existing FIA tests, you are doing well.
This is exactly what McLaren took advantage of, but now its rivals, together with the FIA, are insisting on making some changes to the design of the wings. It is quite possible that the aerodynamicists working in Woking, who will have to do this, will come up with new, even more effective solutions in the process of creative searching.
Source: F1 News

I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.