Barcelona Clampdown: Will it Affect McLaren and the Pecking Order?

May 28 – A leading Formula 1 journalist has questioned whether much will change in Barcelona this weekend when the new clampdown against flexible front wings takes effect.

McLaren – the obvious current master of passing the existing flex tests whilst still enjoying visible flexibility on track – has denied the harsher tests and stricter rules will have much effect.

But Frederic Vasseur, the team boss at Ferrari, thinks Barcelona could actually mark the “turning point” of the 2025 championship.

Jos Verstappen, Red Bull driver Max’s father and co-manager, agrees.

“For the fans and for Formula 1, this is an ideal scenario,” he told De Telegraaf when asked about the Barcelona clampdown.

“They want to have an exciting season and not someone who wins 20 races, so that it becomes monotonous. But I think even more important is that there is a level playing field.

“Certain teams have profited from the flexible front wings for too long, which I don’t think is fair,” Verstappen senior added.

However, Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt has warned fans and McLaren’s rivals that the clampdown could actually have minimal effect on the pecking order.

“It’s not that the wings are no longer allowed to flex while driving,” he insisted. “Maybe the wings will remain as flexible as they are now.

“It’s all about passing that test. It’s just going to be about 30 percent stricter. So if you still manage to pass it with all kinds of scientifically-advanced tricks, the wing can move just as much as it does now.

“I have the feeling that McLaren can succeed with this,” Schmidt added.

However, he does think Ferrari could benefit from the new, stiffer wings. “Vasseur said they were the most conservative team in this area last year, and were the last team to do these current wings,” said the German.

“But I don’t really think it will affect McLaren. They know exactly what they’re doing. When they tightened the rules for the rear wings, nothing really changed.”

✅ Check out more posts with related topics: