Ferrari crew principal Frederic Vasseur mentioned they might have thought-about a protest over McLaren’s rear wing design.
McLaren has since confirmed it’ll change the design of its rear wing following questions over its legality after video footage from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix confirmed it deforming underneath excessive masses.
Vasseur mentioned the query of the design’s legality was “greater than borderline.” The rear wing appeared to assist McLaren maximise their high velocity in a race the place Oscar Piastri held Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc again to win.
The FIA beforehand started learning the behaviour of groups’ entrance wings as a way to guarantee they weren’t flexing excessively at excessive velocity. Nonetheless Vasseur believes McLaren’s rear wing was clearly deflecting to enhance its efficiency.
“I believe there’s a form of confusion between what’s occurred with the entrance wing and the rear wing,” he mentioned. “The entrance wing, all of us agree that it might be a gray space as a result of within the [technical directive], the primary paragraph of the TD is saying you could’t design a part of the automotive with the intention of the deformation. Intention is troublesome to handle.
“The rear wing story is totally totally different as a result of on the article you may have additionally a most deflection. And that is black or white. It’s not gray, darkish gray, gentle gray – it’s black and [white] for me, it’s clear.”
Requested whether or not Ferrari might have protested McLaren’s automotive had they realised how its wing was behaving sooner, Vasseur mentioned: “It might have been potential, but it surely’s not really easy to have proof.
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“Now, truthfully, I wish to flip this web page as a result of I wish to be centered on the longer term. Baku and Monza are behind us. We now have nonetheless seven races to go. We now have to win this weekend and it is going to be one of the best reply that we may give.”
The FIA acknowledged yesterday that every one wings which met their deflection assessments had been thought-about authorized. Though McLaren doubtlessly gained a profit from operating the design earlier than agreeing to vary it, Vasseur doesn’t imagine Ferrari missed a trick by not being as aggressive as their rivals had been with their aerodynamics.
“Actually, we’re pushing on the restrict of what we’re contemplating authorized, I can’t ask the crew to overshoot this restrict,” he mentioned.
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