Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has expressed curiosity and interest regarding the impact the FIA’s new technical directive on flexible wings could have on the competitive hierarchy in Barcelona. Starting from the Spanish Grand Prix, the FIA will enforce stricter checks to limit excessive flexing of aerodynamic elements at high speeds.
The issue surfaced several months ago, with increasing suspicions about the behavior of some teams on the straights. The FIA responded by mandating changes to be implemented from Barcelona onwards, forcing teams to adapt their technical solutions.
Fred Vasseur: “Potential game-changer.” Wolff: “We’ll see who is affected”
Among those highlighting the importance of the matter is Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, who called the directive “potentially revolutionary” in the battle at the top. Toto Wolff shares that view to some extent, albeit more cautiously: “With 16 races still to go, the season is long,” he said. “We are continuing to push to find performance, and the new technical directive on the front wing will add another layer of interest. We are focused on ourselves and want to do better than in the last two races.”
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has always been a benchmark track to assess a car’s balance and overall potential. It is no coincidence that it is one of the engineers’ and technicians’ preferred circuits for evaluating updates and setups.
“It’s a complete circuit, with slow, medium, and fast corners. It will be very useful to assess the latest updates and better understand where we stand compared to the competition,” Toto Wolff concluded.
Mercedes arrives in Spain well aware of the difficulties encountered at Imola and Monaco, but with hope that the Catalan track can highlight the progress made with the latest aerodynamic changes.
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