McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is very pleased with how things are going and the pressure other teams are feeling, despite agreeing to cease use of its flexing rear wing element going forward. The Italian feels the episode will be a net positive for the team as they seek to stay atop the constructors’ table in the final stage of the 2024 season.
“When I see that there’s so much attention from other teams, it means that they will be doing work, they will be doing analysis, they will be talking to the FIA [….] using this time and energy to chase something that I think is a red herring. So for me, as McLaren, that’s just good news.”
Stella continued to attest that the wing element, which flexed in such a way as to remain somewhat open even outside of DRS zones, was legal.
“We want to come with technical solutions that may be challenging but totally sound from a legality point of view.”
To that end, he contended that they were not the only team exploiting this aspect of the cars’ design this season.
“For some reasons, this slot gap seems to have become something that dominates F1. There’s many ways in which other cars are exploiting aerodynamic pressure on surfaces – actually, based on our analysis, some of them are just quite a lot more effective.”
For McLaren, the focus is ultimately more on their car than anyone else’s, and Stella expressed confidence in the FIA to police the situation.
“When we have conversations with them, not only do we see that they understand mechanisms, but they also understand what is going on with our competitors.
“They always seem to be pretty equipped in terms of understanding whether some of the tests are suitable [….] I think we are in good hands from a policy point of view, with the FIA, and I think we should have all parties—teams, journalists, everyone—a little bit more respect for the FIA and their technical department, because they do a very good job.”
McLaren put the controversy aside, dominating the Singapore Grand Prix weekend with their other wing as Lando Norris beat Max Verstappen by over 20s. Oscar Piastri was a comfortable P3, too.
