F1 teams braced for ‘tougher’ flexi-wing tests in China after FIA checks
The FIA will impose tough new tests on F1 team's cars in China amid an ongoing flexi-wing clampdown.
F1 teams will face tougher flexi-wing tests from next weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.
Governing body the FIA has been pushing hard to clampdown on the use of flexi-wings during the 2025 F1 season, with a technical directive covering rear wing flexibility implemented at last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
Further tests under TD18, which relates to front wing flexing, were scheduled to come into force from the Spanish Grand Prix in June.
This decision irked Red Bull, who questioned why F1’s governing body was waiting until the ninth round of the season to conduct such checks.
Red Bull suspect their rivals McLaren and Ferrari are finding ways to circumvent the current regulations.
Following initial observations at the opening round of the season in Melbourne, the FIA says they concluded that “sufficient grounds” exist for a “tougher test” to be introduced in China this weekend.
F1 teams were informed of the revised test on Monday morning.
In a statement issued to media including Crash.net, the FIA said:
"As has been previously communicated, between the end of the 2024 season and the start of the 2025 season, the FIA exercised the authority it is granted under Article 3.15.1 of the Technical Regulations to introduce either new or more challenging load-deflection tests for the front wing (from Race 9, Spanish Grand Prix), the upper rear wing, and the beam rear wing. In addition, the FIA requested to the teams to use cameras in Free Practice Sessions to monitor the on-track deformations exhibited by the cars during the Australian Grand Prix.
“Having analysed footage from the rear wing deformations combined to the static deflections measured inside the FIA garage in Melbourne, the FIA has concluded that sufficient grounds exist for a tougher test to be introduced from the forthcoming Chinese Grand Prix on the upper rear wing.
"More specifically, Article 3.15.17, introduced in 2025, states that if 75Kg of vertical load is applied on either extremity of the rear wing mainplane, the distance between the mainplane and the flap (also known as “slot gap”) must not vary by more than 2mm. From the forthcoming Grand Prix in Shanghai, this limit will be reduced to 0.5mm. Due to the short notice for Shanghai only a tolerance of 0.25mm will be added to this new limit.”
Despite the introduction of the stricter test, the FIA stressed that all cars were found to be legal following the checks which took place in Australia.
“The FIA wishes to further confirm that during the Melbourne event all cars tested against the requirements of Article 3.15.17 and found to comply, therefore all cars raced in Melbourne were deemed to be legal,” they concluded.
Lando Norris won Sunday's F1 2025 curtain-raiser from Red Bull's Max Verstappen to underline McLaren's early championship favourites tag.
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