Even without a fully flexible front wing, McLaren remains on top in Formula 1.
When asked about the FIA’s much stricter flexibility checks that have taken effect this weekend, Mercedes’ George Russell quipped sarcastically: “Well, it’s certainly slowed McLaren down a lot.”
It’s a bitter pill for every other team, given the way teams are having to manage limited resources between developing the 2025 cars and focusing on the completely different rules for 2026.
While McLaren still leads the pack, however, championship leader Oscar Piastri is wary. “Our opponents look fast,” said the Australian.
“Max (Verstappen) was with us all day, and Ferrari and Mercedes are also close.”
Piastri revealed that McLaren’s pre-Barcelona confidence that a stiffer wing wouldn’t overly affect performance was because the team had already tested it on track.
“Lando (Norris) has had a wing like this on his car before to get a feel for it,” he said.
According to Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko, the new wings may have squeezed the top teams closer together. “Ferrari and Mercedes have closed the gap,” he said, “and so have we.
“As far as the wings are concerned, I still see a slight advantage for McLaren. But the others are close. Now it’s about fine-tuning.
“But the big jump for the McLaren competition, which some had predicted, didn’t happen.”
