Honda look to FIA to resolve BMW row

The Japanese manufacturer is one of several teams adamant that the rear wing of the BMW F1.06 is flexing at high speed and, as autosport.com revealed yesterday, had threatened to protest their rivals if they finished ahead of them in the Canadian Grand Prix.

With Nick Heidfeld taking seventh place, two places ahead of Jenson Button, Honda Racing would have gained one point if a protest against BMW-Sauber had been successful.

But Honda Racing boss Nick Fry revealed that talks with FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting shortly before the race left his team inclined not to lodge an official protest.

Despite submitting fresh photographic evidence, and a video tape from qualifying of the rear-wing of the BMW cars from German station Premiere which showed the wings flexing, Whiting told Honda that any protest would likely be futile because the BMW's rear wings passed all the current tests that are conducted on them.

"We spoke to Charlie Whiting before the race and we had a discussion with him about protesting," explained Fry. "He made it clear that all he could do was apply a normal test to the car, which is to apply relatively small weights to the rear wing. We are confident that that car and all the others would pass under those circumstances.

"It now is a matter of finding a test that would address this particular issue. Not only do the static photographs demonstrate quite clearly that the rear wing is flexing, the rearward facing cameras from yesterday show the same. Charlie is aware of that and he is looking into that. I am sure he will have further discussions with the team about it."

It is understood that the FIA is now looking into the matter and that Whiting will speak to the team before next weekend's United States Grand Prix.

According to Fry, one possibility is that new fixtures, such as a strut, may have to be fitted to the BMW-Sauber rear wing to ensure that the main element is not flattening out at high speed.

Fry added: "Something which connects up the two shortest points between the upper and the lower wing and actually bolts through to the lower surface of the main plane is the only way to ensure that one wing does not move relative to another. A rule needs to be written around that, but the specifics have to be left to the FIA."

Although BMW-Sauber have maintained that their wings are fully legal, Fry has said he remains angry about the team's approach.

"It is not fair," Fry added. "Ourselves and other teams are spending millions of pounds racing and we need to all race according to the same rules."