McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has defended his team’s flexible rear wing, which has been a topic of discussion after footage emerged of it bending during his Azerbaijan Grand Prix win. While acknowledging its potential benefits, Piastri maintains that it’s a legal and critical component of their competitive advantage, not a ‘magic bullet’.
The footage, which went viral, shows part of the rear wing flexing under the airflow at high speeds, potentially reducing drag and allowing the car to go faster. Some have questioned its legality, but Piastri insists it passes all the necessary tests and remains within the F1 regulations.
“It’s legal,” Piastri said. “We get tested a lot, and it passes. It’s certainly not the magic ticket or magic bullet for why we’re competitive, but it’s legal. It passes all the tests, so I’m pretty happy with it.”
Piastri added that the wing doesn’t fall into a “grey area” within the F1 regulations, which generally prohibit moving aerodynamic devices, with the exception of the overtaking-assisting DRS rear wing flap that all cars have. He also revealed that he was unaware of the wing’s flexibility until recently.
“I honestly didn’t even know that it did that until three days ago,” Piastri said. “Obviously in the sport, you find every bit of performance that you can without breaking the rules. I feel like that’s what we’re doing, and that’s what you need to do to become a championship-winning car and a championship-winning team.”
The Australian driver argued that teams like McLaren, which are performing well and challenging the likes of Red Bull, are inevitably going to face greater scrutiny. However, he doesn’t take the scrutiny personally and believes it’s simply a natural part of the competition.
“There’s going to be scrutiny of people curious to know why your car is competitive, so I certainly don’t think it’s personal to us,” Piastri said.
Amidst the debate, championship leader Max Verstappen has called for the FIA, the sport’s governing body, to issue a “clarification” on how the rules work in practice, specifically regarding wing flexibility.
“It’s quite clear that it’s moving at speed. It might be smart, might not be smart, but at the end of the day, it’s up to the FIA to decide if it’s legal or not, right?” Verstappen said.
Piastri, who currently sits fourth in the standings, 91 points behind Verstappen, is also being counted on by McLaren to support his teammate, Lando Norris, in the championship race. Despite his recent win, Piastri recognizes that his primary focus remains on helping Norris achieve a strong championship result.
“If I’m in a position to still win races, then that’s what I want to do, and I think I showed in Baku that I’m capable of doing that,” he said. “But naturally if there’s times where I can help out for Lando’s championship bid, then I’ll be happy to help out as well.”
The debate surrounding McLaren’s rear wing highlights the constant pursuit of performance within F1, where even the smallest advantage can make a significant difference. As the season progresses, it remains to be seen how the FIA will address the issue of wing flexibility and whether further changes will be made to the regulations.
