Why flexi wings are a hot topic again in F1

Like deaths and taxes, there is another certainty in life: that as long as aerodynamics remain a part of Formula 1, we will get flexi wing controversies. The issue has become a hot topic again as the fight at the front of the field heats up – and Mercedes has got itself seemingly back in the hunt with its own design that exploits what its technical director James Allison refers to as a ‘playground’.

PLUS: How F1 moved away from subjective scrutineering on issues of flexing

But what makes the current situation especially fascinating is that it comes amid a growing realisation from some teams that the only way to be successful with the current generation of ground effect cars is by exploiting a bit of legal trickery with the front wing.

For rather than flexi wings being – as they have sometimes been in the past – a means to reduce drag on the straights (as the flaps bend down) without compromising downforce in the corners (when the flaps pop back up), the aim of the game now is all about getting on top of car balance.

One of the biggest challenges with the current machinery is in achieving a good aero balance through different speed ranges – because how these cars behave at low speeds is nothing like what they do in the fast stuff. There is variation of ride height and downforce levels (which increases as the car gets closer to the ground), but equally the aero balance shifts forward as the car gets quicker. This was something that Allison eloquently explained recently.

“I think all these cars like being near the ground, which is why they are near the ground,” he said. “The front wings on these cars are very big and they probably like being near the ground the most of all.

The current generation of F1 cars "like" running so low to the ground

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

“That tends to make a car get more nervous as it goes faster, because predominantly and proportionately more [balance] is moving to the front axle than you might wish. And so, you're fighting that with these rules.

“The more you find downforce near the ground, the worse that gets. Everyone in 2022 when these rules were first published weren't as near to the ground as they are now. We weren't fighting this inherent behaviour as much then as we are now.”

Translate these characteristics into car set-up demands, and it is easy to see why it leaves teams and drivers facing a quandary. At low speeds (and higher ride-heights), the front wing is not producing as much downforce in proportion to the rear wing as it does when run fast and low. 

"Teams have learned over the years that there is still quite a bit that you can extract from the design of the front wing, potentially having to think in a slightly more complicated way" Andrea Stella

A perfect aero balance at low-speed means that when the speed ramps up, the tendency will be for too much downforce at the front which equals high-speed oversteer. Equally, dial the car so in the fast stuff it is aero neutral or has a little bit of understeer, then in the slow corners it will understeer hugely, and drivers will struggle to get the front end turned in. It is really all about picking your poison and where you want the biggest compromise to be.

However, if teams can successfully bleed off some of the front downforce in the high-speed stuff – by a bit of wing flexing – then they can get the best of both worlds: a car that turns in without terrible understeer in low speed and doesn’t suffer from horrible oversteer at high speed.

The ability to do this is the key to success right now – as the balance benefits of having a car that works across speed ranges is huge and can contribute massively to lifting driver confidence. Paddock insiders suggest that when it comes to charting some of the big steps of progress we have seen made by teams, it has not been about floors and ride heights – but all about the front wing and the benefits they can bring.

This includes whatever Aston Martin was doing at the start of 2023 before a mid-season TD intervention from the FIA, and the mammoth leap that McLaren made at last year’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Wing flexing can help battle against the compromises teams have to make with aero balance

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Asked about the important of the front wing – especially with the new Mercedes design having appeared to contribute quite a lot to its recent step up – McLaren team principal Andrea Stella did not deny its value.

“I think teams have learned over the years that there is still quite a bit that you can extract from the design of the front wing, potentially having to think in a slightly more complicated way,” he said. “So, I'm not surprised that Mercedes could unlock some performance working on the front wing.

“It looks like with this front wing development they've taken, their front end looks very strong. When you look at the onboard at the Mercedes drivers, they hardly need to turn the steering wheel to get the nose of the car at the apex, which is at times a good feature!”

What is perhaps most fascinating about the latest front wing design trend is that flexing it falls into a grey area of the regulations. In theory, moveable aerodynamic devices (apart from DRS) are banned – but equally it is physically impossible for teams to create aerodynamic surfaces that do not flex at all under high forces.

It is about acceptable limits, and F1 has long had a system of flexi wing tests, where forces are applied to the cars when stationary in the pit lane. If teams are able to pass that, then the car is deemed legal.

But in as competitive an arena as F1, the trick has been creating designs that comply with the stationary tests in the pits but still deliver what is needed when out on track. As Allison said: “I think that all of us are trying to ensure that we pass the FIA's flexibility test. They put loads on, and you've got to not move by more than an amount.

“But provided you can do that and provided your wing is just bending like a thing bends when it has load on it, then there's no drama to be faced with the governing body.”

While teams have long viewed with suspicion some of the flexi antics that have been spotted from the onboards of rivals in recent times, and have posed a few quiet questions with the FIA, there does not appear to be any impetus from the governing body to step in and get involved.

So that’s why F1 teams have increasingly found themselves in the situation of if you can’t beat them, join them. Do not be surprised if more and more look set to join the flexi wing brigade.

With the FIA not getting involved in the flexi wing debate for now, others will surely follow that path

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images