Red Bull ready to take front wing action with FIA analysis request made

George Russell, Mercedes, ahead of Oscar Piastri, McLaren.

After Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko called on the FIA to analyse the McLaren and Mercedes front wings, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said they will change their wing if they are deemed legal by FIA.

Red Bull has seen its Formula 1 dominance slip away after a strong start to F1 2024, with McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari having all risen to race-winning level. McLaren has emerged as the strongest title threat to Red Bull, while Mercedes won three races out of four heading into the summer break. And it is these two teams which have caught Red Bull’s attention.

Red Bull ready to take front wing action as FIA analysis requested

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Sam Cooper

The Italian Grand Prix served as a further blow to Red Bull – winless since June’s Spanish Grand Prix – as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were consigned to the fourth row, with Verstappen going on to finish the race P6 and Perez P8.

And Marko has called for the FIA to take a closer look at the front wings being used by McLaren and Mercedes, that area of an F1 challenger a common target for rival complaints, especially when it comes to flexi-wings.

“The front wing of McLaren and Mercedes must be analysed,” Marko stated to ORF.

And Horner – who said that the McLaren and Mercedes front wing angle is “very different to the rest of the grid” after Lando Norris’ crushing Zandvoort win – said this is an “FIA issue” for the governing body to deal with.

“I think the regulations are very clear, and I think that’s an FIA issue,” he told media, including PlanetF1.com, after the Italian GP.

“So obviously, there are tests that they passed, but then you’d have to look at the wording of the regulations.

“I mean, we got, if you remember back in ’21, certainly around Baku time, there was a change to the front wing regulation. Even though our wings passed the test, it was exploiting air elasticity.

“So that’s an FIA issue, so we’ll leave it and trust in them to deal with it.”

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But asked if Red Bull need to follow a similar route, Horner confirmed: “Well, if it’s acceptable, then you have to join it.”

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur was also quizzed on the comments coming from Horner and Marko and said this is a conversation which he wants to only have with FIA single seater director Nikolas Tombazis.

“This is a discussion that I don’t want to have with you [laughs],” he told media including PlanetF1.com, “I will have it with Tombazis.

“But we have to respect the decision of the FIA, that we’ll have again the discussion.”

Ferrari claimed their third win of F1 2024 at the Italian GP – their home race – as Charles Leclerc successfully pulled off the one-stop strategy to stun McLaren.

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