Fred Vasseur claims Flexi Wings gave McLaren an edge in the 2024 Title win

McLaren won the Formula 1 constructors championship after 26 years in the 2024 season. The two McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, were very consistent and too fast compared with other teams like Red Bull and Ferrari. But in the middle of the season, a controversy emerged that McLaren was using flexible wings, which open like a DRS at high speed. Teams like Ferrari and Red Bull raised the issue with the FIA, and the officials investigated the matter.

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They fixed a camera on both the wings of the McLarens and monitored them. During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferarri driver Charles Leclerc, even with fresh tyres, couldn't catch Oscar Piastri on the straights, and the Australian did not even use DRS.

It was caught on the camera as Oscar’s rear wing started to bend backwards when he was going at high speed, opening a small gap like DRS. The FIA ordered McLaren to change their rear wing. However, the design was completely legal and was done following the regulations.

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McLaren Flexi Rear Wing Video

Very interesting view of the workings of the McLaren rear wing.

It's almost like a small passive DRS, with how the rear plane flexes and opens up a gap to allow more air flow.

Pretty inventive solution.#F1#Formula1#AzerbaijanGPpic.twitter.com/s15s3mALXg

— Jeppe H. Olesen (@jeppe_olesen) September 15, 2024

Ferrari tried hard to beat McLaren but couldn't, and the British team emerged as the new constructors champions. Ferrari team principal has pointed his fingers at the McLaren garage for using the Flexi rear wing as an advantage and winning the title. He was asked whether Flexi Wing played a defining role in the 2024 season, and Fred replied, “I think so. I’m a bit frustrated with this, because it's a clear performance, and we waited for two months for the decision if it's legal or not.”

The FIA investigated the matter and took 2 months to make McLaren change the rear wing, and in that gap, they won many races and got a point advantage over Ferrari. Vasseur says even if it's a small advantage in Formula 1, it makes a big difference. He explained the Monza track as an example where every car goes fast. During that time, each millionth of a second is seen as an advantage to win the race.

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