There may be some drama brewing for Mercedes, which currently leads both championship titles, as some questions about the legality of the Mercedes rear wing have been raised. The question was sparked by some slow-motion footage of the Mercedes car in the corner with the rear wing appearing to flex a lot more than other teams.
Lewis Hamilton stirred up some discussion after the Belgian Grand Prix, claiming that Ferrari has some “trick things” on their car to enhance performance. The Italian outfit performed far superior to Mercedes in the race. However, Hamilton later clarified that he was not implying that the team was breaking the rules.
However, the tables have turned, with various sources suggesting that Mercedes may be breaking regulations regarding the amount of flexing that the rear wing can do. Footage from the final practice session on Saturday was compared on Sky Italia to other teams through the same corner. The Mercedes rear wing appeared to flex a lot more than other teams.
Ferrari has been quite about the topic, not accusing Mercedes of rule violations. When asked about the topic, Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene simply said: “That’s the FIA’s job, not ours. We are already busy to answer all the questions they ask us every race. But yes, we noticed it. Let’s see if also the FIA will notice it.”
The flexing of aerodynamic components is mainly a concern for the front wing, as flexing can provide some performance gains. However, flexing in the rear wing can also provide increased performance and may not be permitted under the regulations.
At this point it’s not clear whether the FIA will investigate the matter any further and it’s not clear whether or not Mercedes is breaking any rules. It’s fairly common for competitors to claim that the other one is cheating, although little ever comes from such claims.
