For Verstappen, McLaren is illegal — the Formula 1 world champion doesn’t mince words. The flexibility of materials is a property that has often been exploited, sometimes to an excessive degree, especially through the widespread use of carbon fiber. For years, teams have pursued wing element deflection to gain a competitive edge.
The FIA is unable to uncover illegality
Now in the fourth and final year of regulatory continuity, the predictable convergence in performance has meant that the difference lies in the smallest details and borderline interpretations of the technical regulations. It is now well established that the FIA is not able to independently verify the legality of the cars.
In recent years, tricks conceived by brilliant engineers have only been discovered through tips from rivals. The governing body’s response time to clear irregularities is sluggish, even glacial. Just think of the absurd delay in introducing new front wing flex tests, only starting from the ninth round of the season in Barcelona.
This has been a critical issue that the International Federation has been working on since last season’s Belgian Grand Prix, when the system of micro-cameras on the front wings was introduced, in an attempt to observe their behavior while the car is in motion.
Flexible wings: McLaren’s blatant trick
The usual problem is that static load tests are brilliantly passed by the teams. However, those same components, when subject to high downforce, behave exactly as the teams want. On this matter, former Ferrari technical director Nikolas Tombazis said he was very disappointed with the teams’ behavior, stating that they deserved disqualification for rear wing flexing.
As a result, the International Federation has made the rear wing tests stricter, drastically reducing the permitted tolerance — from 2 mm to 0.5 mm — in the gap between the “Rear Wing Profiles Reference Volume” and the “Rear Wing Tip Reference Volume”. However, F1TV footage showing the rear of the MCL39 reveals something quite different.
It appears that the trick does not lie in the simple deflection of the components making up the rear wing, but rather in the counterclockwise rotation of the entire rear wing. A comparison between the movement of the McLaren and Red Bull rear wings under high downforce in Japan is truly damning.
Verstappen: not just a leader behind the wheel
In the paddock, the non-conformity of the papaya-colored cars with the spirit of the regulations is now an open secret. And who better than Verstappen to speak freely and unfiltered? We’re talking about the same driver who didn’t hesitate to accuse Ferrari of cheating in 2019. The Dutchman confirmed he’s seen the videos circulating on social media, also shared by his father Jos on his channels.
Max explained that he knows exactly what McLaren’s rivals are doing. Nevertheless, the only thing he can do is help his own team develop their car. The four-time world champion stressed that it’s those responsible for drafting and enforcing the rules who should act. This year, we’ll see a new version of F1’s greatest driver.
The Hasselt phenomenon quickly realized that his talent is no match for the McLaren under normal conditions. As a result, he’s taking the fight beyond the track. After the race in Japan, he mocked the papaya-colored driver duo, bluntly stating that if he were driving the MCL39, he would have left everyone in the dust in no time.
To avoid surrendering his world champion crown, he knows full well that Red Bull’s progress may not be enough to fight Norris and Piastri, and so attention must be drawn to the possible irregularity of the papaya-colored cars. A suspicion the former world champion team has harbored since the winter testing that took place in February right here in Bahrain.
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